As SailGP continues to enhance its reputation as a truly global championship with a regional debut this weekend, all nine drivers have been coming to terms with the unique waters off the coast of Singapore…
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Oldest boat in The Ocean Race 2023
Friday
Jan 13
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 13
2023
Posted by XS Editor
With five IMOCAs racing round the world in the 14th edition of The Ocean Race, the oldest boat on the 7-leg course will have been launched in 2015… a lifetime ago in this fast moving development class.
But Robert Stanjek’s joint campaign with Benjamin Dutreux took a big step forward when the team won the IMOCA class in The Ocean Race Europe 2021. Racing a boat that was not only older, but significantly less advanced than others in the class, was a reminder that you don’t always need the latest and newest machine to win.
Certainly, their success was helped by the light conditions that favored the older style daggerboard configuration and a hull shape that was more suited to such weather.
Today, their campaign sees the team in a different boat, one that is the oldest in the five boat fleet. Nevertheless, few see this as anything other than another serious and competitive campaign. And when the German former Olympic sailor describes his thinking around a project that he freely admits is new to him, it’s easy to see why his competitors are taking GUYOT environnement – Team Europe seriously…
Cup Spy Jan 12: Key days for Brits and Swiss
Friday
Jan 13
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 13
2023
Posted by XS Editor
wo teams took to the water today in Barcelona and Mallorca. After the sessions, the relief was palpable, now that both teams could tick some of the basic boxes, ahead of a late starting testing regime….
J/105 Class suspends past champion
Thursday
Jan 12
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 12
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Each year, St. Francis Yacht Club rolls out the red carpet for sailors visiting to compete in the Rolex Big Boat Series, with the 2022 event held September 15-18 in San Francisco, CA. The J/105 Class had the largest fleet with 29 teams, but an incident during the event has had repercussions following the 7-race series.
As stated in the final report, “Randy Hecht’s Niuhi demonstrated their ability to negotiate crowded starting lines and manage a talented fleet to win this historic perpetual trophy and its accompanying Rolex. Ryan Simmons’ Blackhawk finished in second place, while Tim Russell’s Ne*Ne completed the top-of-class trifecta.”
However, the results were later adjusted, dropping Ne*Ne to last place, with event documents revealing how, on October 25, the Protest Committee conducted a rule 69 hearing to consider misconduct allegations against Ne*Ne owner Timothy Russell and his trimmer Arne Vandenbroucke.
The Protest Committee determined they each committed misconduct during the event, and rescored Ne*Ne to receive DNE in all seven races. More so, the Protest Committee referred their decision to US Sailing and the J/105 Class Association for their consideration/action.
The J/105 Class Executive Committee (EC) met on January 9, 2023 and voted to suspend the Class membership of Timothy Russell for the 2023 calendar year. The incident involved how Russell and Vandenbroucke boarded a competing boat, the J/105 Maverick, at 8:57 pm on September 17 and tampered with the boat’s lifelines.
Video from cameras on the StFYC docks and front door was provided as evidence.
Russell’s Ne*Ne dominated the 2021 J/105 North American Championship held in Annapolis, MD. His San Francisco-based team posted all top-5 scores in the 7-race series to win by 24 points. Ne*Ne finished third in the 2022 North Americans which was held after the Big Boat Series on San Francisco Bay.
VIDEO: Inside an IMOCA 60
Tuesday
Jan 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The Ocean Race (formerly Volvo Ocean Race and Whitbread Round the World Race) will have the high-performance, foiling, IMOCA 60 class when the 14th edition begins January 15, 2023. Matt Sheahan tours a newly launched boat, noting how the fully crewed IMOCA 60s are new territory.
“While some of the five teams have had the luxury of testing, training and generally getting their heads around how things work with five aboard a boat originally designed for one, most haven’t,” noted Sheahan.
“One of the latest generation of IMOCA60s is Boris Herrmann’s Malizia, and shortly after the boat had been launched, crew member Will Harris gave me the full tour. It was fascinating and highlighted just how different the new boats are to sail…
Sponsorship struggles for SailGP leader
Tuesday
Jan 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 10
2023
Posted by XS Editor
When the SailGP global sports league got launched, it was a fully funded concept to create spectator-friendly racing in identical wing-powered, foiling F50 catamarans. But the support from billionaire Larry Ellison, and management from Russell Coutts, had conditions.
The prominent condition was that from the first season in 2019, the teams needed to be commercially sustainable by the end of the fifth year. While it is not clear if the pandemic has stretched this deadline beyond 2023, the reality remains that about half the teams have made that threshold.
As league promotion highlights its roster of the world’s best sailors, the league is finding that sheer talent does not translate to economic security. This hit home when the Season 2 runner-up Japan was removed from Season 3 when an entry for a new fully-funded team was accepted, and a new boat could not be built in time.
Also feeling the heat is Tom Slingsby, Driver and CEO of the Australia SailGP Team, who has failed to secure any major sponsorship deals which could put the two-time defending champion on the chopping block.
SailGP has “progressed a lot quicker than we expected,” he said, resulting in a glut of perspective, commercially independent teams approaching the league. “SailGP can’t build boats fast enough…
Clean start for RORC Transatlantic Race
Monday
Jan 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Lanzarote, Canary Islands (January 9, 2023) – The start of the 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race had ideal conditions to allow the fleet to get away for a clean downwind start. After passing under the volcanic mountains of the Los Ajaches National Park, the fleet raced through the narrow Strait of Bocaina which divides Lanzarote from Fuerteventura.
The fleet must leave Tenerife to port, before heading into the wide expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The next mark of the course is 3,000 miles away across the Atlantic at Glover Island, just a few miles from the finish outside Camper & Nicholsons Port Louis Marina in Grenada…
Eight Bell: Charles Morgan
Monday
Jan 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Charles Morgan, (November 17, 1929-January 7, 2023), an icon in the world of sailing from the late 1940s, passed away at 93 years on January 6, 2023. His passing came just hours after his beloved wife Maurine had died.
Charley was born in Chicago in 1929 but grew up in Tampa, FL. He was a boy when his uncle took him sailing on Lake Conway near a sleepy town called Orlando. At 10 he built his first sailboat out of discarded orange crates and sack cloth…
The last race around Cape Horn steered by humans?
Monday
Jan 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 09
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The world of extreme ocean yacht racing is a mix of speed, costly technology and talented sailors/pilots fingering touchscreens with satellite interfaced routing programs…
Cup Spy Jan 06: INEOS has first sail for 2023
Saturday
Jan 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
INEOS Britannia became the second America’s Cup team to sail in 2023. The British LEQ12 was soon up and foiling much more steadily than we have observed previously…
How to follow The Ocean Race
Saturday
Jan 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 07
2023
Posted by XS Editor
No other sporting event gets its fans as close to the action as The Ocean Race and there are multiple ways you can follow the competition throughout the six month event…
Cup Spy Jan 05: American Magic shifts focus
Friday
Jan 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 06
2023
Posted by XS Editor
There seems to have been a shift in focus in the American Magic game plan starting in 2023, and expect to see the New York Yacht Club team do most of its sailing on the open ocean. Today they sailed in a modest 2-3ft sea-state without issues…
Record breaking RORC Transatlantic Race forecast
Thursday
Jan 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Near perfect, record conditions are forecast for the start of the RORC Transatlantic Race, supported by Calero Marinas, the International Maxi Association and the Yacht Club de France…
Cup Spy Jan 04: American Magic first to sail
Thursday
Jan 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 05
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Patriot sailed inshore on Pensacola on Wednesday (local time) and were the first of now six teams to start sailing in 2023. There was a break down in the Foil Cant System which took about an hour to resolve…
French confirm America’s Cup entry
Tuesday
Jan 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 03
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The organizers of the 37th America’s Cup have revealed the French challenge by the Société nautique de Saint-Tropez and their representative team K-Challenge Racing.
Led by Stephane Kandler and Bruno Dubois, their Challenge was previously accepted by the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron and they have now chosen to formally announce their entry and confirm they are ready to proceed with their campaign.
The entry period opened December 1, 2021 and closed July 31, 2022, but with the provision that late entries may be accepted until May 31, 2023. It is not clear when they submitted their entry.
Golden Globe: Top three to Cape Horn
Sunday
Jan 01
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 01
2023
Posted by XS Editor
(January 1, 2023) – Along the 2022-23 Golden Globe Race course are several mandatory media stops, with the leaders having fulfilled the requirement along the southern tip of Hobart, Australia. Entrants must sail over a line and pause for 90 minutes for interviews and to drop off film and letters.
Simon Curwen (GBR) rounded the southern tip of New Zealand today with Kirsten Neuschäfer (RSA) 300 miles astern. He was first at the Hobart Gate on December 24 at 12:06 local time (0106 UTC) on his Biscay 36, followed by Neuschäfer 29.5 hours later.
Neuschäfer, however, has a time compensation of 35 hours for the rescue of Tapio Lehtinen (FIN) in November. Her time compensation actually puts her on the lead by 5.5 hours at the Hobart Gate. Abhilash Tomy (IND) followed the leaders in third…
2023: A year of hope
Sunday
Jan 01
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 01
2023
Posted by XS Editor
When in doubt, believe in something and 2023 is predicted to be a year of hope. The Chinese zodiac horoscope predictions say it is a year of the Water Rabbit, starting from January 22, 2023 (Chinese New Year), and ending on February 9, 2024 (Chinese New Year’s Eve). The sign of Rabbit is a symbol of longevity, peace, and prosperity in Chinese culture…
Top 5 Crashes of SailGP
Friday
Dec 30
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 30
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Relive the 5 most memorable crashes and collisions of SailGP history alongside our athletes, including some who were on board during these edge-of-your-seat moments.
Mistral wins RSHYR Two-Handed Division
Friday
Dec 30
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 30
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Rupert Henry and Greg O’Shea have sailed Henry’s Lombard 34, Mistral, to victory in the Two-Handed Division of the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, the pair also claiming the Two-Handed ORCi win and third place in the Corinthian IRC division…
Eight Bells: Mary “Bushy” Bushnell Henry
Thursday
Dec 29
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 29
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Mary “Bushy” Bushnell Pearce Henry, 102, of Middletown, RI, passed away on December 24, 2022, in the St. Clare Home in Newport. She was the wife of the late Eugene Baker Henry, USN, Ret.
Bushy was remarkable not only for her age but for her generation. As she reminded us all often, “Do you realize I was born the year after women got the vote! Can you imagine what I have seen?” It was a rhetorical question.
Bushy was a long-time member of the New York Yacht Club. Her love of boats and the America’s Cup was only exceeded by her ability to bring people together around the dinner table or on the terrace. She was endlessly generous with her time and her hospitality was legendary…
Countdown to the RORC Transatlantic Race
Thursday
Dec 29
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 29
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The New Year heralds a big season for the Royal Ocean Racing Club, including the 14th edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race. The longest race in the 2023 RORC Season’s Points Championship starts from Marina Lanzarote on January 8th…
Sam Haynes on winning the Sydney Hobart
Thursday
Dec 29
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 29
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Sam Haynes Owner/Driver of Celestial interviewed after being declared the overall winner of the 2022 Sydney Hobart race…
Waiting now for Sydney Hobart win
Wednesday
Dec 28
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 28
2022
Posted by XS Editor
(December 28, 2022) – A year ago, Sam Haynes was on the brink of quitting sailing in disappointment after his hopes of overall victory in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race were dashed by a protest.
Today, Haynes is back in Hobart and in the box seat to avenge the set back in 2022 race, with his TP52 Celestial currently holding first place overall. Haynes, who is also the Vice Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, organizer the race, was cautious to start celebrating too early.
While well positioned, Haynes must still wait for the finish of other boats that could potentially beat Celestial and the outcome of a request for redress at 4:00 pm tomorrow for the GP42, Enterprise Next Generation, owned by Anthony Kirke. The West Australian boat stood by KOA yesterday when the latter lost her rudder. The verdict could impact the final standings.
Also fresh in Haynes’ mind was how Celestial, the TP52 he bought before the 2019 Rolex Sydney Hobart, was relegated to second after a protest against him last year…
“Last year at the finish, we knew we had the best corrected time,” he recalled. “We just about had our hands on the Tattersall Cup…
Sydney to Hobart – Living the dream on LawConnect
Tuesday
Dec 27
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 27
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Drone footage, crew interviews, footage from the live stream emanating from the supermaxi, LawConnect…
Superstitions: Mugs and Nudity
Tuesday
Dec 27
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 27
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Never Say P*G – The Book of Sailors’ Superstitions is the nautical reference book you never knew you needed. Compiled by R. Bruce MacDonald, he goes through the alphabet detailing on what provides good and bad luck at sea. Here’s a sampling from M and N:
Mugs
If a mug is stowed on a hook, then the handle should always face forward with the rim facing aft. This is a practice for good luck but may have originated from a time when mugs would have been stowed out in an open cockpit and, if they were not hung in this way, would have filled with seawater.
Nudity
In Catalonia, it was common practice for fishermen’s wives to expose their genitals to the sea to calm it before their husbands set out. “La mer es posa bona si veu el cony d’una dona” was the common expression (“The sea calms down if it sees a woman’s vagina).
For more sage advice, click here.
Andoo Comanche wins Line Honours
Tuesday
Dec 27
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 27
2022
Posted by XS Editor
It may not have been a race record run and it wasn’t a daylight finish, but the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race was a thriller from start to finish, with Andoo Comanche taking Line Honours…
America’s Cup sold to Barcelona
Monday
Dec 26
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 26
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Alex Powell with New Zealand news service Newshub grabs the low hanging fruit as he selects his Disappointment of 2022.
In March, Emirates Team NZ confirmed what we’d all feared for a long time and announced that the 2024 America’s Cup defence would be sailed in Barcelona.
Granted, the financial boost of hosting it in Spain will be crucial if Team NZ are to defend the Cup, but that doesn’t make it any less painful, considering the early mornings we’ll have to put in to watch it.
COVID-19 had a huge say on how the Cup was last defended and 2024 should have been New Zealand’s chance to enjoy it properly, as the world returns to normal.
I guess we shouldn’t be surprised Emirates Team NZ put commercial interests before their country – it’s literally in their name…
RACE START REPLAY
Sunday
Dec 25
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 25
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The start of the race will be broadcast live on the official race website for viewers around the world.
British Invasion for Sydney Hobart
Friday
Dec 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 23
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Thomas Cheney is pinching himself that he and the crew on the JPK 11.80 yacht, Sunrise, are in Australia and all but ready to sail in their first Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race.
For the British navigator, of the Royal Ocean Racing Club entry, the prospect of being in the fleet for the Rolex Sydney Hobart, which starts at 1:00pm on December 26, almost came by chance.
“Last year, my wife, who sails, and I were up at two in the morning having Christmas in Scotland, watching the start like we have done most years. It’s weird being here,” said Cheney today at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA), organiser of the race…
Five teams to compete in The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint
Thursday
Dec 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
While five IMOCA teams are set to race around the world in The Ocean Race 2023, there are five confirmed VO65 entries for The Ocean Race VO65 Sprint which will compete in three of the legs.
The Ocean Race Sprint Cup*
Leg 1: Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde
Leg 2: Aarhus, Denmark to The Hague, the Netherlands
Leg 3: The Hague to Genova, Italy
* These legs coincide with Legs 1, 6, and 7 of The Ocean Race course
Representing North America in this shorter race is team Viva México led by Mexican skipper Erik Brockmann, which will compete against Ambersail 2 (LTU), Mirpuri Foundation Racing Team (POR), Team JAJO (NED), and WindWhisper Racing Team (POL).
According to Brockmann – an accomplished Mexican yachtsman and past world champion skipper who also led the team in The Ocean Race Europe – taking part in the new sprint event is another significant step towards a Mexican crew racing around the world in The Ocean Race for the first time since his countryman Ramón Carlín won the first ever edition in 1973-74 aboard Sayula II…
Sailing alone around the world: Joshua Slocum
Thursday
Dec 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 22
2022
Posted by XS Editor
For millennia, the ocean has been a gateway to new worlds, the starting point of journeys towards the unknown. It was either the quest for food supplies or running away from the enemy…
18ft Skiffs: Rides, capsizes and other incidents
Wednesday
Dec 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 21
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The competitors racing the 18ft skiffs each weekend in the Australian 18 Footers League’s fleet on Sydney Harbour are very talented and prepared to go ten-tenths to claim the big prize…
Sydney Hobart: Fleet set for downwind
Tuesday
Dec 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
(December 20, 2022) – The maxi yachts should get off to a flying start in the 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, based on the NSW Bureau of Meteorology [BOM]’s long range weather forecast. Northerly winds are expected for the start on December 26, according to the forecast presented today at the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, organizers of the 628 nautical mile race.
Gabrielle Woodhouse, forecaster at the NSW Bureau of Meteorology, said the light east-to-north-easterly winds forecast for the 1pm local time start should freshen later that afternoon.
Those winds are expected to continue into the second day of racing, with a trough forecast later in the week, and winds shifting to south-south easterly and light rain showers developing.
Race details – Notice of Race – Facebook
Source: RSHYR
Cup Spy Dec 19: All five teams turn out
Tuesday
Dec 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
All five teams appeared on Monday – the biggest turnout of teams yet in this America’s Cup cycle. Alinghi Red Bull Racing was the only one not to hoist sails. American Magic tested themselves in a seaway on the Gulf of Mexico…
Youngest Golden Globe entrant faces retirement
Tuesday
Dec 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 20
2022
Posted by XS Editor
After more than a hundred days at sea, only six of the original 16 entrants who departed Les Sables d’Olonne in France are likely to pass through the Hobart gate which shuts on January 31st…
Classe Mini: A new president & big plans for 2023
Monday
Dec 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Following a record breaking season with more competitors on the starting line than ever before, Classe Mini has ended the year by electing a new president…
Father-Son in for 29th Sydney Hobart
Monday
Dec 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 19
2022
Posted by XS Editor
The 2022 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has 111 boats entered for the 77th edition. With the start for the 628nm course to Hobart starting within Sydney Harbor on December 26.
There are 8 international boats in the race, including entrants from Germany (Orione), Hong Kong (Antipodes), Hungary (Cassiopeia 68), New Caledonia (Eye Candy and Poulpito), New Zealand (Caro), the United Kingdom (Sunrise) and the United States of America (Warrior Won).
The glamour fleet of maxis has four 100-footers which will lead the charge for Line Honors – Andoo Comanche, Black Jack, Hamilton Island Wild Oats, and LawConnect.
Joining the holiday classic is the father-son duo of Bruce and Drew Taylor who will be competing in their 28th race together. Bruce, owner/skipper of the Caprice 40 Chutzpah, notes there is a method to the record partnership with his son Drew, who lives and works in Hong Kong.
“There is always some squaring up. He comes here to sail with me at Christmas and I go to sail with him in Hong Kong,” Bruce said. “If I give him a hard time on Chutzpah, he’ll give me a hard time on his boat, Ambush. So, we don’t give each other a hard time. We have an amicable agreement.”
This year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart will be Bruce’s 41st. For his son Drew, who first sailed in the race in 1987, it will be a 29th start. Since they first crewed together in 1987, dad has loved seeing his son progress as a sailor.
“It’s one of the reasons I keep going. It’s pretty special to sail with your son,” he says. “I’ll probably stop [racing the Rolex Sydney Hobart] before he does. We get on well on the boat and he fits in well with the crew. One thing I can say, is that he steers better than I do now.”
Chutzpah is a regular in the Rolex Sydney Hobart, with numerous division wins and a best of second overall in 2014, when she finished a little less than 39 minutes behind Roger Hickman’s Wild Rose. Bruce also finished second in 1990, but on a different Chutzpah.
The Victorian admits that Chutzpah “is not an all-rounder” for all conditions. “We are looking for a downhill slide if we can get it. If we can get a northerly that would be great,” he said.
Not Sailing: Long range carbon sportfisher ‘Matuku’ launched
Sunday
Dec 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders have launched Matuku, a custom built Artnautica 60 (18m) Sportfisher motor yacht, set up for offshore game fishing – with a safe travel distance of more than 1200 nautical miles…
Sail Sydney overall
Sunday
Dec 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Dec 18
2022
Posted by XS Editor
Varying conditions and a gusty southerly set down a challenge for athletes on the final day of Sail Sydney, with consistency the key for podium finishes…
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