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…
The Ocean Race start of Leg 2 and 4700nm of racing to Cape Town
Thursday
Jan 26
2023
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Jan 26
2023
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Record to Jamaica still stands
Wednesday
Jan 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Ben Mitchell
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
Wednesday
Jan 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 25
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Tuesday
Jan 24
2023
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Jan 24
2023
Posted by deleteme
Announcing the Gunboat 70
Tuesday
Jan 24
2023
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Jan 24
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Tuesday
Jan 24
2023
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Jan 24
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Tuesday
Jan 24
2023
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Jan 24
2023
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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
Monday
Jan 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Monday
Jan 23
2023
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Jan 23
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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?
Saturday
Jan 21
2023
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Jan 21
2023
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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
Saturday
Jan 21
2023
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Jan 21
2023
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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
Friday
Jan 20
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 20
2023
Posted by XS Editor
(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
Friday
Jan 20
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 20
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Friday
Jan 20
2023
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Jan 20
2023
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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
Friday
Jan 20
2023
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Jan 20
2023
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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
Thursday
Jan 19
2023
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Jan 19
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Wednesday
Jan 18
2023
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Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Wednesday
Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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!
Wednesday
Jan 18
2023
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Jan 18
2023
Posted by deleteme
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
Wednesday
Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Wednesday
Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 18
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Tuesday
Jan 17
2023
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Jan 17
2023
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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
Tuesday
Jan 17
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 17
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Tuesday
Jan 17
2023
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Jan 17
2023
Posted by deleteme
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
Tuesday
Jan 17
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 17
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Tuesday
Jan 17
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 17
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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?
Monday
Jan 16
2023
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Jan 16
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Monday
Jan 16
2023
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Jan 16
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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
Monday
Jan 16
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 16
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Plenty of swims and damage, almost unsailable amounts of breeze, so of course the Contenders went out…
The Ocean Race Leg 1 Day 2
Monday
Jan 16
2023
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Jan 16
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The opening 24 hours has been challenging, but not unexpected. After running into a quiet spell overnight, during which both fleets concertinaed, the forecast has played out its threat with strong winds and big seas…
Spectacular The Ocean Race start day in Alicante
Sunday
Jan 15
2023
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Jan 15
2023
Posted by XS Editor
As The Ocean Race celebrates its 50th jubilee anniversary, a fleet consisting of the best sailors in the world set off on what is widely considered to be the toughest test of a team in sport…
Victory for New Zealand at Singapore Sail Grand Prix
Sunday
Jan 15
2023
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Jan 15
2023
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Peter Burling and the New Zealand team battled back from a four point pre-event penalty to claim a clear victory at the Singapore Sail Grand Prix…
Spithill rebounds to claim race win in Singapore
Saturday
Jan 14
2023
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Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
The United States SailGP Team redeemed a lackluster start to the inaugural day of racing at the Singapore Sail Grand Prix, earning its second race win of the season and capturing crucial points to stay in the hunt for Sunday’s podium race…
Mark Bulka wins Contender Pre-worlds event at Royal Freshwater Bay YC
Saturday
Jan 14
2023
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Jan 14
2023
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The 2023 Australian Contender Championship was won by 3-time World Champion Mark Bulka…
Australian 16ft Skiff Nationals overall
Saturday
Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
A broken rudder pin worth around $20 left one boat heart-broken and another ecstatic as the Australian 16ft Championships ended in the same dramatic way they started at Manly on Saturday…
Cup Spy Jan 13: Italians go into race mode
Saturday
Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Three of the AC37 teams had very different sessions. American Magic’s was curtailed by strong winds. Luna Rossa got into race mode using marks in training for the first time by any team. Alinghi RBR flicked through 15 tacks/gybes with nine being dry…
New elapsed record in Transatlantic Race
Saturday
Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 14
2023
Posted by XS Editor
St George’s, Grenada (January 13, 2023) – Today at 19:46:26 UTC, Giovanni Soldini’s Maserati Multi70 took Multihull Line Honors in the 2023 RORC Transatlantic Race. Maserati’s elapsed time sets a new Multihull Race Record for the RORC Transatlantic Race of 5 days 5 hours 46 mins 26 secs.
Maserati Multi70 Crew: Giovanni Soldini, Guido Broggi, Matteo Soldini, Oliver Herrera Perez, Francesco Pedol, Lucas Valenza-Troubat and Francesco Malingri.
For Maserati, the victory and new race record did not come easily in the RORC Transatlantic Race. Strong winds and a big sea state took its toll on the boat, but the crew battled through the troubles and strife to smash the previous record by 16 hrs 59mins 37 secs…
SailGP continues to break new ground
Friday
Jan 13
2023
Posted by XS Editor
Jan 13
2023
Posted by XS Editor
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…
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…
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