It was breeze on in Miami for Day 2 of the 2023 Finn Gold Cup. After four races now sailed, Ed Wright, from Britain, extends his lead while Domonkos Nemeth, from Hungary stays in second…
Britain’s Phil Sharp on his new IMOCA
Britain’s Phil Sharp will line up with a new zero emissions Sam Manuard IMOCA highlighting hydrogen fuel cell technology…
18ft Skiff Australian Championship overall
The Finport Finance team of Keagan York, Angus Williams and Phil Marshall became the 2022-23 Australian 18ft Skiff champion after a controversial day when no racing was completed on Sydney Harbour…
505 Australian Championship overall
The final day of the Ronstan 505 Australian Championships was more of the same, light gradient breezes, but this time just slightly more breeze than…
Callisto wins the 35th Pineapple Cup
Last night the Montego Bay Yacht Club celebrated Callisto Racing, Pyewacket70 and Rikki in the 35th edition of the Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race. Callisto Racing, owned by Kate and Jim Murray is the overall winner of this edition of the Pineapple Cup…
Alert for Sailboat ‘Unicorn’ Possibly Adrift in Pacific
We know there are often sailboats that lose contact with shore, and that friends and loved ones share their details in hopes of a successful sighting and recovery. We don’t always share the news in such situations, but in this case, the alert about a sailboat named Unicorn caught our attention. We thought perhaps we could help by alerting our friends currently cruising in Mexico and the Pacific.
The details are sparse, but it appears that Unicorn, with possibly only one soul aboard, has encountered problems at sea and is by now likely disabled and adrift.
The alert appeared on the social service Facebook page Carlos Alfredo Godinez León and reads (in translation):
“Social Service: #BCS #PacificoNorte #SOSVelero #Unicornio #SEMAR #CapitaniadePuerto #Embarcacionesenlazona this day Thursday January 26, 2023, help alerts were received for a vessel, type sailboat named Unicorn, which is located in the Pacific, its crew report that it is [taking on] water and presenting flotation problems, is losing energy, at any time can go out of communication. Caution is recommended when browsing and being in contact with SEMAR, ENSAR, CAPTAINTY AND local authorities#PrevenirEsVivir #ProteccionCivilSomosTodos #AyudarParaAyudar #ABVVBCS”
We translated some of the acronyms and hashtags as follows:
#BCS = Baja California Sur
Velero = sailboat
#CapitaniadePuerto = port captain
#Embarcacionesenlazona = boats in the area
SEMAR = Secretaría de Marina = Secretary of the Navy
ENSAR = Estaciones Navales de Búsqueda y Rescate = Search and Rescue Stations of the Mexican Navy
#PrevenirEsVivir = Prevention Is Living
#ProteccionCivilSomosTodos = We Are All Civil Protection (perhaps equivalent to It Takes All of Us)
#AyudarParaAyudar = Helping for Helping (or Assisting)
An earlier post stated that the last communication with Unicorn was at 11:30 a.m. (presumably Thursday), at which time the vessel was located at “Lat 25 28.9 N, Long 114 18.5 W.”
The alert was accompanied by a map of sorts, of Unicorn‘s last known location.
The post Alert for Sailboat ‘Unicorn’ Possibly Adrift in Pacific appeared first on Latitude38.
Zapped Kiwi F50 out for SailGP Sydney
SailGP’s 10-boat fleet of one-design F50s is set to reshuffle for the next event of the Season 3 after New Zealand’s lightning-struck F50 known as Amokura was deemed unable to compete.
After their victory at the Singapore Sail Grand Prix on January 14-15, the Kiwis’ boat was being towed back to the Tech Site when lightning struck the top of the 29m wing, causing significant damage.
Initial investigation found the lightning had ‘exploded all of the electronics on the boat,’ according to Tech Team Manager Brad Marsh, while the extent of the damage to the carbon fiber platform remains unknown…
The Ocean Race Leg 2 Day 2: Slowly sliding south
It’s been a tense first night as the IMOCA fleet has sailed south, away from Mindelo and towards the uncertainty of the Doldrums…
America’s Cup: Secrets of scale
Tom Morris is a talented British dinghy sailor, who aside from his sailing achievements – that include winning in 2022 the RS800 National Championship and the UK’s champion of champions Endeavour Trophy – is also host of the highly popular YouTube channel Mozzy Sails where he and his friends provide analysis of the 37th America’s Cup.
As there are limitations on what types of boat the teams can use for training, among the options are the provided AC40 or a LEQ12 (less or equal to 12m) prototype boat. This episode discusses the challenges of using something smaller than the AC75:
Watson’s historic solo sail hits the screen
In 2010, Jessica Watson became the youngest person to sail around the world solo, non-stop and unassisted.
At just 16, the Queensland schoolgirl spent 210 days at sea battling six-metre swells before pulling into Sydney Harbour where she was met by thousands of supporters and hailed an Australian hero by then-prime minister Kevin Rudd.
One of those cheering fans was a then six-year-old Teagan Croft, who would go on to play the teenage sailor in Netflix’s new film about Watson’s remarkable journey which debuts on February 3rd…
The Ocean Race start of Leg 2 and 4700nm of racing to Cape Town
Out on the race course on Wednesday for the start of Leg 2 of The Ocean Race, teams had a short lap of a reaching course to navigate before heading out to sea, en route to Cape Town…
Record to Jamaica still stands
Only three boats started the 35th Pineapple Cup – Montego Bay Race, led by the modified Volvo70 Pyewacket70 which hoped to break the monohull course record for the 811 nm course from Miami, FL to Montego Bay, Jamaica.
However, after starting on January 22, their elapsed time finish on January 25 of 2 days 18 hours 20 minutes and 19 seconds missed the pace set in 2005 by the R/P 75 Titan 12 (02:10:24:42).
But it remained a good time according to Ben Mitchell, watch captain along with Gary Weisman, who figures they received their roles due to being the oldest on the boat, with a world class crew ready to make them look good. Here are Mitchell’s dockside comments:
It was a great race, super fun! We got out of Miami really fast, probably fastest crossing of the Gulf Stream we’ve ever had. For those of us that raced during the SORC era, in much slower boats, we recall how it took quite a long time to get across the stream. But in this boat, this race, it took us just three and a half hours out to Isaacs, and then to Stirrup.
So, the race started quite fast, and our goal was to try and match or improve the record set by Titan many years back. We had a pretty good exit; routing was looking good and were ahead of schedule all the way down through the Bahamas. As we passed Eleuthera we knew there was going to be a little high-pressure bubble sitting all around the Bahamas creating a convergence zone…
Nuclear wastewater into Pacific Ocean
The ocean is not just our playground, it is our source of life. A vibrant ocean secures the future, and a heightened awareness today of past misdeeds seeks to improve upon that outlook.
Yet, there remain limits.
At Scuttlebutt HQ, the City discharges over 150 million gallons of partially treated wastewater each day into the Pacific Ocean through a deep ocean outfall several miles off the coast. Biological and chemical processes put their blessing on the water used in homes and businesses before serving it to the sea life.
That seems nasty, yet less worrisome that what is reported by New Zealand’s STUFF media:
Japan says it is adopting a revised action plan on the release of treated, but still radioactive, wastewater from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean this year.
In April 2021, the government and the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO), announced a plan to release more than 1 million tonnes of water stored in tanks at Fukushima later this year.
The move has met fierce opposition from Pacific and world leaders, fishermen and activists over contamination fears…
we need more power
Announcing the Gunboat 70
Gunboat has announced the addition of the Gunboat 70 design to their portfolio of high-performance cruising catamarans, releasing the first details to clients and media partners at boot Dusseldorf in Germany January 21st – 29th…
505 Australian Championship Invitation Race day 1
It was a busy day today for the 505 fleet. The race committee went for three races in anticipation of some difficult conditions later in the week.
studebaker
Grabbed this from FB and damn, it reminds of us an old Studebaker or something similar that has not stood well under the harsh glare of time. It musta seemed pretty avant-garde at the time, but now? Oh boy!
Cup Spy Newsflash: ETNZ capsize LEQ12
Emirates Team New Zealand did a high speed nosedive and capsize in their LEQ12 test boat on the inner Waitemata Harbour…
2023 Contender Worlds at Perth overall
The last day of the Contender Worlds followed the pattern that had been developing, lighter airs than expected, tricky easterlies it seems, but set in a beautiful venue with more close racing and seamless organisation on and off of the pitch…
AC37 – Did American Magic copy mainsheet tweak from Italians?
The boomless mainsheet was key to Cup success in AC36 . . but to win in Barcelona the teams will have to push this development further…
Team Holcim-PRB win Cabo Verde Leg of The Ocean Race
French skipper Kevin Escoffier led his Swiss-flagged Team Holcim-PRB to victory in leg one of The Ocean Race in the early hours of Saturday morning…
Attrition again for Golden Globe Race
(January 20, 2023) – With Elliott Smith (USA) out of the race and Jeremy Bagshaw (RSA) beaten by barnacles, there are now just five contenders left for the GGR trophy in Les Sables d’Olonne and two sailors in Chichester Class with Guy Waites (GBR) about to be dropped.
Smith arrived to a warm Aussie welcome in the Fremantle Sailing Club marina after crossing Cape Leeuwin earlier this week. The 27 y/o American sailor has sailed 14.000 miles non-stop, solo, unassisted and crossed two of the great Capes out of three.
His challenges have been more than most, sailing the last 5000 miles with significant damage to his bowsprit and the last few weeks with no forestay at all after repairs failed. He has shown true grit and determination with real seamanship and skill to make landfall…
35th Pineapple Cup Race starts tomorrow
The Pineapple Cup-Montego Bay Race, an 811-nautical mile sailing race hosted biennially by the Montego Bay YC and Storm Trysail Club, with support from platinum partner Appleton Estate, is excited for the start of the 35th edition of the offshore classic…
2023 Finn Gold Cup – Sixty Finn sailors from 14 nations are taking part in Miami
The Finn class returns to Miami next week for the 2023 Finn Gold Cup, with Sixty Finn sailors from 14 nations are taking part at the Coconut Grove Sailing Club…
reaching machine
This is Teasing Machine (whatever), the King-built Nivelt/Muratet 54′ IRC that just won the RORC Transatlantic race. When the design was first listed in the race pr, it said a NMYD, but we all know Nelson doesn’t draw anything anymore. Rather, it is a 2017 design that is a powerful reacher/runner in a breeze, which proved unbeatable in this race. And the thing is gorgeous…
The Ocean Race: Days 2-4 On-Board and Drone Videos
On-Board Videos from Days 2 – 4 including drone footage from above the boats as the fleet passes through the Straits of Gibraltar, and exits into the Atlantic Ocean as the opening stanzas of Leg 1 play out…
M32 Class back in Miami
The M32 class keeps coming back to Miami and we love it! The sunshine, the temperatures, the flat water of Biscayne Bay, and the list goes on and on. Simply put — it’s just the perfect place for wintertime sailing…
Amo’s Update: Last night was radical
With the IMOCA fleet on the first leg of The Ocean Race from Alicante, Spain to Cabo Verde, Amory Ross provides this report from 11th Hour Racing Team on January 18:
Call it a grudge, but after The Ocean Race Europe – a predominantly light air upwind race through the Med – many began to … unfairly … compare the IMOCA class to the VO65s.
It’s hard to compete with narrower hulls and longer waterlines, taller rigs, and daggerboards you can pull all the way up in those conditions. They are apples to oranges, designed to do things differently, and the last 36 hrs has displayed just how different these boats are.
Last night was radical. The up-range reaching, downwind conditions highlight the effectiveness of the foils and we were quick to leg out…
Race details – Route – Tracker – Teams – Content from the boats – YouTube
geez, that looks like fun!
Launched at the start of 2023, the Sailart 17.5 is tackling the 5m sports-boat market (we didn’t know there was one – ed). With modern shapes, this keelboat is aimed at a sporty crew who wants to go beyond a dinghy. More here.
Leg one of The Ocean Race delivers dramatic story
The first leg of The Ocean Race looked like it was going to be a tough one, viewed from the dockside in Alicante, and it has certainly delivered on that promise…
Capsized 51-foot catamaran on a beach
The 12th Route du Rhum – Destination Guadeloupe, which started November 9 from Saint-Malo in France, had record participation for this solo transatlantic race. Six divisions competed – Ultims, Ocean Fifty, IMOCAs, Class40s, (64-feet and less), and Rhum Mono (39+ feet) – with notable attrition along the course.
Among the casualties was early leader Brieuc Maisonneuve in the Rhum Multi division on his 51-foot CMA Ile de France-60,000 rebonds. When his autopilot failed November 13 in a violent gust of wind, it caused his catamaran to bear away and capsize.
The Race Directors asked Jean-Pierre Dick to change course and head for the area where he was able to recover Maisonneuve and bring him aboard his 54-foot monohull. Dick dropped Maisonneuve off at the Azores, while Maisonneuve’s team began organizing an operation to recover the boat.
But according to French sailing publication Voiles, there isn’t much left to recover as the boat has been found January 16 on a beach in Guidel, located along of Brittany in north-western France…
Contender Worlds – Mark Bulka takes lead on day 2
Australia’s Mark Bulka moves into the lead of the 50th Contender Worlds at the Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club…
Cabo Race: Big effort, Big fun
Highlights of the California offshore circuit include two races to Mexico: San Diego to Puerto Vallarta in even years and the Newport Beach to Cabo San Lucas in odd years, with the later having staggered starts on March 10 and 11.
Hosted by Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Certified Race Officer Dwight Belden offers a preview:
What edition is the 2023 race? Have they all gone to Cabo?
The 800 nm course to Cabo is quite popular with all the races finishing there since the early 1970s. There was a decade break so not sure what edition we are on but we have a lot of boats set to go in March.
There is nice entry growth from 2021. Any secrets?
As our race is an ideal warm-up to the biennial Transpac Race which starts in June, we aggressively contacted teams that would likely be racing to Hawaii. Hopefully it also helped that the 2021 post-race party was a lot of fun along with excitement from the elapsed record set by Pyewacket 70 of 01:21:22:53.
With the two Mexican races, is this a good schedule?
There previously were more, so our focus now is to work with San Diego Yacht Club to compare calendars as appropriate so we don’t overlap and make sure not to overschedule.
What are some of the hurdles to overcome for entry?
Time and money. Also, the marina in Cabo is very full. However, it is hard to beat arriving at a resort city where we maximize the fun, and it is an easy flight back to reality.
Hosting an international distance race is a big undertaking.
It costs the club a lot of resources to put on ocean races, but we have many members competing with their boats or on other entrants. We enjoy the event as do the racers who are usually very happy when they hit the dock in Cabo.
What is the overall time record:
In 2015, H.L. Enloe’s ORMA 60 Mighty Merloe set the multihull and overall record of 01:16:14:14.
The Ocean Race – Day 3 Fleet leaders Team Holcim and WindWhisper Racing Team
Difficult conditions for The Ocean Race fleets as they make their way through the Strait of Gibraltar in Day 3 of racing…
Cup Spy Jan 16-17: Italians in test mode
Two of the six teams entered in the 2024 America’s Cup took to the water in Cagliari and Auckland on Sunday and Tuesday (NZT). Luna Rossa was conducting testing on their starboard wingfoil, and carried a CFD engineer onboard…
The Ocean Race Leg 1 Day 3
Day two of The Ocean Race had the fleet searching for calmer waters by heading towards the Spanish coastline to avoid the worst of the brutal offshore breeze and sea state before breaking through the Strait of Gibraltar and out into the Atlantic.
VIDEO: What’s wrong with you?
Fly along with these high performance ice yachts as they race January 13 on Lake Kegonsa in Madison, Wisconsin. Logan Lein provides this footage from the 2023 International Skeeter Association and Renegade Championships.
Music: The Therapist by Foreign Air. Video uploaded on Jan 15, 2023.
Singapore Sail Grand Prix Video Highlights
Relive all the action from the first ever SailGP racing in Southeast Asia, featuring tricky conditions, drama on the water, and Singaporean fans cheering from the beach…
2023 Contender Worlds at Perth day 1
Plenty of swims and damage, almost unsailable amounts of breeze, so of course the Contenders went out…
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