For the first time in its 39 year event history, the PIC Coastal Classic is cancelled. “Updated restrictions make it clear that events of any kind are not permitted at Level 3,” says New Zealand Multihull. Yacht Club (NZMYC) Commodore Greer Houston.
Formula Kite Worlds – Daniela Moroz dominates opening day
Daniela Moroz USA leads after winning all three of her flight races Britain’s Katie Dabson is in third place First day of the Formula Kite Worlds at the Marina di Torre Grande in the Gulf of Oristano, was delayed by a postponement due to the absence of favourable wind, only the women were able to…
Sails of Change to set sail on Jules Verne Trophy
Dona Bertarelli and Yann Guichard are once more set to take on the Jules Verne Trophy, held since 2017 by Francis Joyon and his crew in a time of 40d 23h 30′ 30″…
this is your captain speaking
Jeez, these guys make Juan K boats look normal! In fairness to Juan (Wait, what? Since when did we start speaking about fairness?), his boats are pretty special. More here.
VIDEO: Highlights from Spain SailGP 2021
Highlights from the sixth event of 2021-22 SailGP on October 9-10 in Cádiz, Spain. Video released on Oct 13, 2021.
Final Results (Team, Helm)
1. Australia, Tom Slingsby
2. United States, Jimmy Spithill
3. Great Britain, Ben Ainslie
4. Japan, Nathan Outteridge
5. New Zealand, Peter Burling
6. Denmark, Nicolai Sehested
7. Spain, Phil Robertson
8. France, Quentin Delapierre
SailGP information – Spain details – Facebook
How to watch – Results – Noticeboard – Crew lists
SailGP Season Championship (after 6 events)
1. Australia, 45 pts
2. United States, 44 pts
3. Japan, 44 pts
4. Great Britain, 40 pts
5. New Zealand, 36 pts
6. Spain, 35 pts
7. Denmark, 33 pts
8. France, 31 pts
Format for SailGP events:
• Teams compete in identical F50 catamarans.
• Each event runs across two days.
• There are three races on each day, totaling six races at each event.
• The opening five fleet races involve every team.
• The final match race pits the three highest ranking teams against each other to be crowned event champion.
• The season ends with the Grand Final, which includes the Championship Final Race – a winner-takes-all match race for the $1m prize.
SailGP Season 2 Schedule*
April 24-25, 2021 – Bermuda Grand Prix
June 5-6, 2021 – Italy Grand Prix – Taranto
July 17-18, 2021 – Great Britain Grand Prix – Plymouth
August 20-21, 2021 – ROCKWOOL Denmark Grand Prix – Aarhus
September 11-12, 2021 – France Grand Prix – Saint-Tropez
October 9-10, 2021 – Spain Grand Prix – Andalusia
December 17-18, 2021 – Australia Grand Prix – Sydney
January 29-30, 2022 – New Zealand Grand Prix – Christchurch (CANCELLED)
March 26-27, 2022 – United States Grand Prix – San Francisco (Season 2 Grand Final)
*Subject to change
2021-22 Teams, Helm
Australia, Tom Slingsby
Denmark, Nicolai Sehested
France, Quentin Delapierre
Great Britain, Ben Ainslie (alternate – Paul Goodison)
Japan, Nathan Outteridge
New Zealand, Peter Burling (alternate – Arnaud Psarofaghis)
Spain, Jordi Xammar (alternate – Phil Robertson)
United States, Jimmy Spithill
State of High Tide Flooding
High-tide flooding, often referred to as “nuisance” or “sunny day” flooding, is increasingly common due to years of relative sea level increases. It occurs when tides reach anywhere from 1.75 to 2 feet above the daily average high tide and start spilling onto streets or bubbling up from storm drains.
As sea level rise continues, damaging floods that decades ago happened only during a storm now happen more regularly, such as during a full-moon tide or with a change in prevailing winds or currents.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) documents changes in high-tide flooding patterns from the previous year at 97 NOAA tide gauges along the U.S. coast, and provides a flooding outlook for these locations for the coming year, as well as projections for the next several decades…
International Canoes at the Tata Steel SC Regatta
With a buzz of excitement from the International Canoe Facebook Page, eight skippers arrived at Tata Steel Sailing Club to join the club for their 2021 regatta…
Mari-Cha III: World’s coolest yachts
Yachting World has been asking top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times, and Yachting World’s ex-editor, Elaine Bunting nominated the Maxi Ketch Mari-Cha III. Here’s the report:
Fast, shapely, elegant and still formidable on the race course, Mari-Cha III was and still is one of the world’s most impressive yachts, writes Bunting.
Created to break records, this Philippe Briand design was built in 1997 for American Bob Miller. Mari-Cha III seized the outright monohull transatlantic record in 1998, the big ketch crossing the finish line at The Lizard on 24 October 1998 in 8d 23h.
She claimed a fistful of record passages including, in 1999, the fastest ever from Sydney to Hobart. Sailing the 630-mile course in 1d 18h at a then phenomenal average of 14.75 knots, but often hitting 30 knots…
Mini Transat attacked by orcas
The 23rd edition of the Mini Transat has completed the first leg of 1350nm from France to the Canary Islands, and as the Mini 6.50 Class solo skippers prepare to start the 2700nm final leg across the Atlantic to Guadeloupe on October 29, talk of orca strikes was among the debrief.
For the past year, reports of rogue killer whales attacking boats off the coast of Spain and Portugal have made headlines, so when 90 21-footers passed along this corridor soon after the start, the odds were good that conflict would occur again.
Jay Thompson (USA), 9th in the prototype division:
“This first leg was an adventure from beginning to end. I knew there would be things that would go on during the race that would be unpredictable, but I hadn’t imagined that I’d encounter an orca and that it would make off with the lifting surface of one of my rudders after spinning the boat round 360 degrees! Was I frightened? I didn’t even have the time to be scared as it all happened very quickly.”
Felip Moll Marquez (ESP), 55th in the production division:
“I managed the start of the race well with the exception of one thing: I was attacked by orcas at night, just before the front. I think it was the second day out. They began to push my boat and play around with it. It was frightening…
as real as it gets
Back in 2016, we ran this little article on the revival of this Frers classic. Well, here she is, smoking along now! Photo thanks to James Robinson Taylor.
Aussies Remain on Top After Cadiz SailGP
Great Britain SailGP Team capsizes during the final race as Australia SailGP Team and USA SailGP Team moves around them. The Australians were then able to break away and lead the final race to the finish. (Ricardo Pinto for SailGP/)
A dramatic afternoon in Cadiz ended with Australia winning the Spain Sail Grand Prix to return to the top of the SailGP Season Championship ahead of their home event in Sydney.
The Aussies, who have now won three events this season, beat the United States and Great Britain in the winner-takes-all Final, aided in part by the Brits’ early capsize which ended their race just seconds after it began…
Gladwell’s Line: Life in Lockdown Land
In the alternate universe – Planet Cherub – it is great to see the Lockdown being put to good use, where the home-build virus seems to be running amok. Fortunately no vaccination is available, and frankly the more who catch it the better.
Close-Hauled to Hawaii
The saying “Nothing goes to windward like a 747,” is one of my favorites. I actually once took a 747 upwind, retracing my earlier downwind sailing route across the Pacific. I’ve also done a fair bit of ocean sailing to windward. The 747 was a lot more comfortable. But then again, comfort and security aren’t why we sail, are they?
This past year my husband, Seth, and I found ourselves making what proved to be a grueling 2,400-mile passage close-hauled. Like most upwind passages, it was fun in retrospect. At the time, not so much. It was a rough three weeks, pounding into head seas with sustained winds of 20 knots or more. Looking back on it, though, it was also one of the richest passages we’ve ever made, thanks to the abundance of rare and beautiful marine life we were lucky enough to come across…
son of a beach
Just one week after a major oil spill off the coast of Orange County, local and state officials have fully reopened most beaches to the public. Coastal water testing along the shore of popular Huntington Beach found no detectable toxins.
“Currents kind of drove the flow of oil away,” Huntington Beach spokeswoman Jennifer Carey told the OC Register. “There was much less oil than we originally thought. Estimates of the spill have gone down significantly, which is great news.”
An ongoing advisory notice remains in effect, and responders still expect that tarballs and oiled material will wash up periodically. To date, skimmers and cleanup crews have picked up more than 5,500 gallons of oil out of a total of 25,000 to 130,000 gallons spilled. 68 oiled birds have been recovered, including 38 which were deceased…
end of year
It may be an uphill battle, but at least they are trying.
The Bigness of The ClubSwan 125
The ClubSwan 125 takes Nautor’s Swan well into the high-performance superyacht realm. Its rotating C-foil reduces the boat’s displacement to a skimming attitude. (Eva-Stina Kjellman/)
More than four years since work began on the largest-ever creation from Nautor’s Swan, the ClubSwan 125, Skorpios finally launched for its Russian owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev, and by the time you read this, the giant new craft will have competed in its first event, the Rolex Fastnet Race. The Italian-owned Finnish builder claims it to be the fastest monohull ever launched. This was further confirmed when the RORC Rating Office awarded the boat its highest-ever IRC TCC of 2.149.
Seeing the yacht at first glance, aside from the striking yellow scorpion design that extends from its black carbon sails down to the black carbon hull (a trust associated with Rybolovlev owns the Greek island after which the yacht is named), Skorpios resembles an elongated VO70. It feels like one too, from the moment you step on board. It’s lightweight for its size, rocking around in waves unlike a more displaced superyacht. This is less surprising given it was designed by the doyen of the VO70, Juan Kouyoumdjian. However, since then, Juan K. has designed George David’s Rambler 88 and even the ClubSwan 36 one-design, of which both have very different hull forms…
Loosing rudder 1000 miles from Hawaii
Will America’s Cup return to Valencia?
Of the three offshore venues under consideration for the 37th America’s Cup, the Spanish option of Valencia makes the most and least sense of them all. As host of the 32nd edition in 2007, its sandy beaches and sunny days found a massive audience but its unprotected sea can throw a spanner into today’s foiling boats.
Remembering back to when the Swiss Alinghi team first put the venue out to bid following their win at the 2003 America’s Cup, Fare Vela media offers this update:
Valencia’s candidacy resumes as an option to host the next edition of the America’s Cup in 2024. According to the Spanish national media, Valencia is the subject of advanced negotiations between the defender Emirates Team New Zealand and the Madrid government…
Dream day opens Finn World Masters
Murcia, Spain (October 11, 2021) – Finn racing doesn’t get much better than the opening day of the 2021 Finn World Masters as 12-18 knots of wind and 77°F temperatures provided two races for the 108 Finn Masters from 20 countries. France’s Valerian Lebrun took both race wins to take the early lead from Filipe Silva from Portugal and Anthony Nossiter from Australia. – Full report
SailGP Walk the Line – But is was a close call
SailGP Cdiz Day 1 showed why sailing struggles as a spectator sport, while day 2 showed sailing as a genuine rival to Formula 1 on a rain-soaked track…
Moth: World’s coolest yachts
Yachting World has been asking top sailors and marine industry gurus to choose the coolest and most innovative yachts of our times, and speed record holder Paul Larsen nominated the International Moth. Here’s the report:
“There are so many boats out there that have cool aspects and yet remain horribly compromised or are no longer relevant. After a ridiculous amount of consideration (and excluding our own creations), I have to go for the foiling International Moth,” says the world’s fastest sailor, Paul Larsen.
“Like foiling or not, you can’t shoot the messenger! As a cool boat it stands on its own, and for what it has since inspired…
Zagol wins Viper 640 North Americans
Darien, CT (October 10, 2021) – The final day of racing at the 2021 Viper 640 World Championship was cancelled due to excessive wind, with overnight leader Mark Zagol with crew Tim Desmond and Drew Buttner taking the title by 11 points over Jay Rhame in second with Cardwell Potts two point back in third. – Details
37th entry in the Global Solo Challenge
Juan Merediz has sailied since he was a child, learning precious lessons from the local fishermen in Gijón where he lived. Sailing is what he has been doing all his life and he has an enviable background…
RC Laser UK National Championships
The weekend had already been booked for a Northern District event and
the annual Barts Bash, so was an available date to freely use where
other venues were struggling to host the RC Laser Nationals…
Chris Bake defends RC44 World Championship in Scarlino
Chris Bake’s Team Aqua defended their title in this 11th RC44 World Championship by one slender point…
Breeze on to start US Youth Champs
Arapahoe, NC (October 9, 2021) – A rainy start did nothing to deter the excitement of the 156 young sailors competing in the 2021 U.S. Youth Sailing Championship. All 19 years old and younger, the sailors raced across five fleets: 29er, International 420, ILCA 7 (Standard), ILCA 6 (Radial), and Nacra 15.
The event kicked off today in wet and windy conditions, and all fleets completed at least one race. “It was definitely a physical day today,” says Mitch Brindley, US Sailing Fleet Coach. “We had great wind, big waves, and plenty of rain.”
A Rewarding Week of Maxi Racing at Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
A most rewarding week two of Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez for the maxi yachts concluded with an easterly eventually filling in to provide 45 of the world’s largest sailing yachts with a last opportunity to put points on the scoreboard..
Getting sporty at Viper 640 North Americans
Darien, CT (October 9, 2021) – A shift in conditions at the 2021 Viper 640 North American Championship delivered strong winds for the third day, allowing for one race before 30+ knot gusts sent the fleet back to the barn. Lee Shuckerow with Brad Boston and Eric Vigrass took the win while overnight leader Mark Zagol with Tim Desmond and Drew Buttner posted a second to stretch their lead with one day remaining…
EurILCA – Beckett is Laser European Champion
Britain’s Michael Beckett had a 16 point lead after the final race series to take the 2021 ILCA 7 (Laser) Senior European Championship in Varna, Bulgaria…
2021 Spain SailGP – Day 2 Live and Replay
The Spain SailGP Team capsized 85 minutes ahead of the first race on Sunday 10 October at the Spain Sail Grand Prix in Cadiz, Andalusia…
2021 Spain SailGP – Day 1 Live Video and Replay
The Spain Sail Grand Prix is live here on SailGP’s YouTube channel from 15:30 hrs BST on Saturday 9 October…
Seriously close at RC44 World Champs
Scarlino, Italy (October 8, 2021) – After 30 knot winds prevented any racing on day one of the 2021 44Cup World Championship, three races were successfully held today in the bay off Marina di Scarlino in a northerly that built to 20 knots gusting 25.
Partly due to the difficult-to-read conditions, partly due to the intense competition between the nine boats, it was a high scoring opening to the 11th edition, but just one point separates the top seven boats and two points the top eight in the nine boat fleet.
The first race was the hardest fought with Torbjörn Törnqvist’s Artemis Racing doing well on the upwinds and Nico Poons’ Charisma edging ahead on the runs. The Dutchman’s team was first home as the Swedes dropped to fourth…
the 70’s
Two of the most famous (okay, one, Ganbare is the most famous) One-Tonners in the world, the Britt Chance designed Resolute Salmon, and the Doug Peterson designed Ganbare. Ganbare should have won the 1973 Worlds if not for a mark rounded the wrong way in the distance race, and resolute Salmon winning it all in 1976, despite a horrible 20th in the distance race. Her other finishes were 4-1-1-4…
VIDEO: Fly on the wall of a flying boat
There remains one year before The Ocean Race 2022-23 (formerly Volvo Ocean Race) gets underway, and the US-sponsored 11th Hour Racing Team is on their new IMOCA 60 for the longest offshore outing yet since the boat was launched in August 2021. Charlie Enright and Pascal Bidégorry embark on their 750-nautical mile qualifying passage for the 2021 Transat Jacques Vabre which starts November 7 for the 5800 nm course from France to Martinique…
Race details – Route – Teams – Facebook
Source: 11th Hour Racing Sailing Team
All marinas and achorages in one app!
We decided to create it… a free app that helps you find that hidden gems and get the most out of your next sailing experience…
Lessons: Sunk in a storm with no liferaft
Bruce Goodwin’s ocean crossing with friends was nearing an end when they encountered a storm; the liferaft was lost, the yacht sank. Skipper Stuart Pedersen tragically died just as he was being plucked to safety. Here’s Goodwin’s story:
Sailing is one of my passions, so I needed little persuasion when my good friend Stuart Pedersen asked if I could help him and his wife Pamela sail their yacht Essence back to New Zealand from Fiji.
I flew out on Sunday 6 October 2019 and joined the boat’s crew, which also included Pamela’s brother-in-law, Steve Newman.
The next morning we motored down the coast of Viti Levu island to Denarau to clear customs. While waiting for Customs, Stuart and I worked through the pre-voyage job list while Pamela and Steve went to the Nadi market for fresh food…
Skunked at RC44 World Champs
Scarlino, Italy (October 7, 2021) – While the forecast indicated that it might be sailable, the opening day of this 11th RC44 World Championship was blown out with the northerly winds regularly reaching the high 20s and gusting into the high 30s. – Full report
19
This is a cool story. Kid’s got some balls, no doubt!
This Thursday at 16:05, Melwin Fink crossed the finish line of the first stage of the 23rd Mini Transat Eurochef, completing the 1,350 mile course between Sables d’Olonne and Santa Cruz de La Palma in the first position in Series boats. The skipper of the Pogo 3 in the colors of SignForCom who took control of the fleet on October 2, south of Cape Finisterre, has shown daring by continuing his race when his competitors have made the choice to collectively take shelter to avoid the passage of an active front off Galicia. From then on, he gained a more than substantial lead over his rivals before achieving a remarkable trajectory at the end of the race. The young German sailor, only 19 years old, certainly struck a big blow and took a good advantage before Act 2 of the event.
Debating the physicality of sailing
In the October 2021 e-Newsmagazine of the Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation, Commodore Sam Nedeau argues with himself about the physical demands of big and small boat racing.
I am going to attempt to settle the argument I’ve been having with my brother John for several decades; which racing boats are more physically demanding – bigger offshore boats or small day sailing racers? (Please noted that I am going to restrict this argument to racing and racing on a fairly high level.)
The origination of our argument started in 1978 while carrying a “genny” belonging to my father’s C&C 52 Windancer. This Dacron beast was all the two of us, ages 14 and 18, could handle. We had just flaked that sail and it had to weigh 200 lbs. plus. We were complaining that the sail was so heavy…!
cursed
A bit o’ history from Camper and Nicholson
On January 15, 1906 the YRA (Yacht Racing Association) organized an international meeting in London between the heads of the associations of the various European countries that had established regulations for the rating and construction of racing yachts. The purpose of the meeting was to agree on a single international rule.
Following this important meeting of the most famous naval engineers and yacht designers, the basis for an agreement was established. On October 14th, 1907 in Paris the representatives of European nations interested in yachting unanimously approved the results of the International Conference and created the IYRU (International Yacht Racing Union) and the international racing rules. Ratings were expressed in metres, so the new racing yachts would be called Metrics, and classes of fixed ratings were established. The most successful classes, some of which are still in use today are the 5.5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15,19, and 23.
In 1906, Charles Ernest Nicholson designed Nyria (C&N Newsletter N°4), in accordance to the Lloyds Register for yachts. Formulated a few years earlier, the rules define specifications for materials and have since proved to be a great guarantee in creating standards for racing yacht construction…
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