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Ready For Another 50 Years
Skipper Alex Roepers and the Plenty team. Photo by Sara Proctor. Click on image to enlarge.

For the last four days (Thursday, September 11 through Sunday, September 14), the 50th Anniversary edition of the Rolex Big Boat Series has hosted hundreds of sailors on 99 teams, rotating onto three strategically-placed race circles that triangulated the constant wind and tide challenges of the largest Pacific estuary in the Americas.

Having developed stadium sailing long before the America's Cup made it a local colloquialism, the St. Francis Yacht Club ensured fast fun for spectators as well as competitors by designing each day's second race (always sailed in a blustering afternoon breeze) to finish within cheering distance of the clubhouse's famous second-story race deck that commands attention east to Alcatraz Island and west to a sun-drenched, or alternately fog-enshrouded, Golden Gate Bridge.

After all was sailed and done, victors were named in ten classes (ORR, HPR, BAMA/Multihull, J/70, J/105, J/111, J/120, Melges 24, Express 37, Farr 40), and six prestigious St. Francis Yacht Club trophies and seven Rolex Oyster Perpetual Submariner timepieces were awarded.

Perhaps most appreciative of the Rolex and the trophy (the Richard Rheem Perpetual) he had earned was Alex Roepers (New York, N.Y.) in the Farr 40 class. Like the other 14 Farr 40 teams here, his Plenty is preparing for the class's World Championships in October, also to be hosted by St. Francis Yacht Club. Plenty, which won the Farr 40 North Americans in May, finished with a point score of 13, a whopping 24 points ahead of 2013 Farr 40 World Champion Enfant Terrible, skippered by Italy's Alberto Rossi.

Final Results

HPR (HPR - 7 Boats)
1. Whiplash, MC 38, Donald Payan, USA, 18
2. Hamachi, J/125, Greg Slyngstad, USA, 19
3. Beecom, TP 52, Anatole Masfen, NZL, 22

J/70 (One Design - 13 Boats)
1. Double Trouble, Andy Costello, USA, 17
2. Perfect Wife, Chris Andersen, USA, 31
3. 1FA, Geoff McDonald, USA, 32

J/105 (One Design - 19 Boats)
1. Arbitrage, Bruce Stone, USA, 17
2. Blackhawk, Scooter Simmons, USA, 21
3. Godot, Phillip Laby, USA, 27

J/111 (One Design - 7 Boats)
1. Aeolus, Rob Theis, USA, 20
2. Madmen, Dorian McKelvy, USA, 21
3. Big BLAST!, Roland Vandermeer, USA, 23

J/120 (One Design - 7 Boats)
1. Peregrine, David Halliwill, USA, 14
2. Chance, Barry Lewis, USA, 19
3. Julian, Yasuhide Kobayashi, JPN, 24

Melges 24 (One Design - 9 Boats)
1. Viva, Don Jesberg, USA, 16
2. Nothing Ventured, Duane Yoslov, USA, 25
3. Insolent Minx, Zhenya Kirueshkin-Stepanoff, USA, 29

Farr 40 (One Design - 15 Boats)
1. Plenty, Alex Roepers, USA, 13
2. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi, ITA, 37
3. Groovederci, John Demourkas, USA, 39

Express 37 (One Design - 7 Boats)
1. Golden Moon, Kame Richards, USA, 8
2. Expeditious, Bartz Schneider, USA, 15
3. Elan, Jack Peurach, USA, 26

SF Bay ORR (ToT - 10 Boats)
1. Encore, Sydney 36, Wayne Koide, USA, 15
2. BustinLoose, Sydney 38, USA, 19
3. Tupelo Honey, Elan 40, Gerard Sheridan, USA, 20

Multihull (BAMA) (ToT - 5 Boats)
1. Orion, MOD70 , Tom Siebel, USA, 10
2. SmartRecruiters, Extreme 40, Jerome Ternynck, USA, 15
3. Shadow, ProSail 40, Peter Stoneberg, USA, 19

regattanews.com
rolexbigboatseries.com
farr40.org

Tim Healy Wins J/70 World Championship
Newport Rhode Island, USA: For the final day of the 2014 J/70 World Championship presented by Helly Hansen, the New York Yacht Club Race Committee brought the fleet back out to Rhode Island Sound where three races were run in 8-14 knots of breeze.

Winning the first race of the day was Joel Ronning of Minneapolis on Catapult. Ronning had led the standings for the first two days of the championship but came into the final day 14 points out of first place behind Jamestown's Tim Healy and his crew on Helly Hansen. With Healy crossing the line in fourth, Ronning was able to chip away at the deficit and, in race two, the margin was further cut to seven points when Ronning finished fourth and Healy finished eighth. However, in the final race, won by Brian Keane of Weston, Mass., on Savasana, Healy crossed the line in second with Ronning back in fourth, earning Healy and the Helly Hansen team the championship title on 28 points to Ronning's 39.

The youngest competitor on the race course was 13-year old Julian Sudofsky of Marion, Mass., who missed a week of eighth grade at Old Rochester Regional to race with his father Mike Sudofsky on Carlos. The young sailor was not simply enjoying a week off from school; as a veteran in the J/70 class he has twice raced in Key West Race Week, along with events in Annapolis and Cedar Point.

Seeing 86 teams, representing 14 nations, on the starting line for any sailing event is significant. For those 86 teams to be contesting the first-ever world championship of the J/70 class is a testament to the popularity of this boat which was introduced just over two years ago

The J/70 Class was awarded ISAF One Design status in November 2013.

Final top five:
1. Helly Hansen, Tim Healy, USA, 28.0
2. Catapult, Joel Ronning, USA, 39.0
3. Savasana, Brian Keane, USA, 61.0
4. New Wave, Martin Kullman, USA, 83.0
5. MUSE, Heather/Joe Gregg Earl/Bardenheier, USA, 83.0

j70worlds.com
www.j70ica.org

Marinepool - Clothing Partner of the Extreme Sailing Series™
Marinepool is widely regarded as one of the leading sailing clothing and maritime lifestyle brands and is the "Official Clothing Partner" of the Extreme Sailing Series™.

We have built a reputation for outstanding quality, excellent service and quick and reliable deliveries. These are only a few of the reasons why no less than 4 of this year´s teams in the Extreme Sailing Series™, among them 2012 and 2013 Champions The Wave, Muscat, are racing in Marinepool kit.

Using only the best materials and state of the art production technologies, no detail is omitted to ensure every product is optimized before it reaches the market. More than 23 years of experience and design excellence, plus the invaluable input of the world class athletes proudly wearing Marinepool garments, guarantee the products are at the cutting edge of technology.

Uncompromising, highly functional and extremely light weight; Tested and approved by many of the world's finest sailors.

As a group of companies with German roots and head quarters, operating in 43 countries, with product lines ranging from performance sailing clothing and a test winning life jacket range to maritime fashion, Marinepool is uniquely qualified and the perfect match for the clothing requirements of YOUR sailing team or company.

Purchase the Extreme Sailing Series™ Collection by Marinepool directly from the official online store: http://www.extreme-sailing-series-store.com or contact us for your customized team wear on

Marinepool | Design. Technology. Passion.

www.marinepool.com

Emirates Team New Zealand Break Alinghi And The Wave, Muscat's Dominance
In some of the best conditions the fleet have raced in all year, you couldn't have scripted a better final to the Extreme Sailing Series Act 6 in Istanbul, and the fans on shore and following around the world were rewarded with a nail bitingly close, down to the wire shoot out after 31 races. The 12 Extreme 40s blasted around the track in 20-23 knots, reefs in their mainsails, with the lead changing hands in almost every race. As fortunes swung one way, and then another, Dean Barker and the crew on Emirates Team New Zealand needed to put two boats between them and The Wave, Muscat in the final race to take the win - and they did just that, clinching their first Act win of the year - the first time a team other then Alinghi or The Wave, Muscat have won an Act since 2012.

Despite missing out on top prize in Istanbul, McMillan and the team on The Wave, Muscat did what they came here to do: beat Alinghi and narrow the gap on the 2014 rankings.

With the penultimate Act of 2014 in Nice, France just over two weeks away (2-5 October), there will be many lessons learnt here and rivalries are burning stronger than ever. Alinghi hang onto the overall lead with 55 points but their advantage over The Wave, Muscat has been narrowed to just one point.

Standings after Day 4, 31 races

1. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker, Glenn Ashby, James Dagg, Jeremy Lomas, Edwin Delaat 210 points
2. The Wave, Muscat (OMA) Leigh McMillan, Sarah Ayton, Pete Greenhalgh, Kinley Fowler, Nasser Al Mashari, 204
3. Alinghi (SUI) Morgan Larson, Stuart Pollard, Pierre-Yves Jorand, Nils Frei, Yves Detrey, 188
4. Oman Air (OMA) Rob Greenhalgh, Ted Hackney, Kyle Langford, Hashim Al Rashdi, Musab Al Hadi, 169
5. SAP Extreme Sailing Team (DEN) Jes Gram-Hansen, Rasmus Køstner, Thierry Douillard, Christian Kamp, Brad Farrand, 154
6. Groupama sailing team (FRA) Tanguy Cariou, FranCois Morvan, Romain Motteau, Thierry Fouchier, Devan Le Bihan, 148
7. J.P. Morgan BAR (GBR) Ben Ainslie, Nick Hutton, Paul Goodison, Bleddyn Mon, Matt Cornwell, 143
8. Red Bull Sailing Team (AUT) Roman Hagara, Nick Blackman, Mark Bulkeley, Shaun Mason, Stewart Dodson, 142
9. Realteam by Realstone (SUI) Jerome Clerc, Arnaud Psarofaghis, Bruno Barbarin, Cedric Schmidt, Thierry Wassem, 135
10. GAC Pindar (AUS) Nathan Wilmot, Jack Macartney, Ed Smyth, Seve Jarvin, Tyson Lamond, 130
11. Gazprom Team Russia (RUS) Igor Lisovenko, Phil Robertson, Matt Adams, Pete Cumming, Aleksey Kulakov, 126
12. TeamTurx (TUR) Mitch Booth, Can Bayülken, Selim Kakıs, Deniz Cinar, Anıl Berk Baki, 85

extremesailingseries.com

International Canoe World Championship
Photo by Leslie Richter, www.rockskipper.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Point Richmond, California, USA: On the morning of the last race of the 2014 International Canoe (IC) World championship, the championship was down to the wire with Mikey Radziejowski of Santa Cruz leading reigning world champion Chris Maas of Anacortes, WA by only one point after eight races and one throw-out. With a second throw-out allowed after nine races, Sunday's ninth and final race could have shuffled the final standings. However, the race had to be abandoned before the start due to winds topping the International Canoe (IC) class' limit of 21 knots, securing the IC World Championship for Mikey Radziejowski.

Though only 22 years old, Radziejowski is not new to the sailing scene. He sailed his first IC Worlds in Australia at age 17, was member of the American Youth Sailing Force that raced on the AC45, is active in I-14 and Aussie 18 skiff sailing, and raced in the 2011 Transpac on Criminal Mischief, which came in second.

Third place goes to Alistair Warren of Saxmundham, Suffolk, Great Britain (42 points), Peter Ullman of Oldenburg, Germany came in fourth (46 points) and David Clark, from Warren, RI, USA finished in fifth place (47 points).

Complete results are posted on the regatta website at www.regattanetwork.com

Light Winds and Current Test Six Classes at Santander
The third day of racing at the Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships was a tough affair with light winds and a strong current testing the sailors across the six fleets on the water.

The Laser, Laser Radial and Men's and Women's RS:X were joined by the Men's and Women's 470 fleets on the third day of racing as they kick started their competition.

After a long wait ashore and a further one afloat waiting for the wind to arrive and stabilize there was little chance the 6-8 knot breeze would hang around for more than one race but in the end all of the fleets got some racing in. In the light wind the current was again the dominant factor with several lines across the course areas. Add that to a few odd shifts and competitive fields and it made for an interesting day.

Schedule of Racing:

12-18 September, Laser and Laser Radial
13-19 September, RS:X Men and RS:X Women
14-20 September, 470 Men and 470 Women
15-21 September, 49er, 49erFX, Finn and Nacra 17

www.santander2014.com

Santander 2014 ISAF Microsite
www.sailing.org/2014-ISAF-Worlds.php

Seahorse October 2014
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Design - Acceptable no more
Gunboat founder Peter Johnstone explains the all-new thinking that has gone into the breathtaking (and fast) Gunboat 55 series

Update
Terry Hutchinson grabs a little time out, a successful 2014 ORC world championships in Kiel, more success for the Cowes Classics, plus a breathtaking and extremely professional performance from Sidney Gavignet's team around Britain

Take good care
And try not to take your crew for granted...

Sailor of the Month
A couple of battlers... and champions

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The Great Cup: Armin Strom Blitzes Final Day
Flavio Marazzi and his Armin Strom Sailing Team crew came out all guns blazing today to claim first place in the GC32 foiling catamaran class at the inaugural edition of Marseille One Design.

A light forecast didn't look promising for the fourth and final day's racing on Marseille's Roucas Blanc, but the breeze filled in and built to around 15 knots at lunch time and the race committee was able to squeeze in four races before the final cut off of 15:00 local time.

The seven straight race wins of Sebastien Rogues' GDF Suez team finally came to an end when Armin Strom Sailing Team won yesterday's last race. Today Flavio Marazzi's crew picked up where it left off, scoring three consecutive race wins, enabling the Swiss crew ultimately to claim the regatta by eight points.

Following an injury he sustained on Thursday that has made walking difficult for him over the last two days, GC32 creator Laurent Lenne, was back racing today, taking over the helm of Magic Marine at the last minute from former A-Class Catamaran World Champion Mischa Heemskerk.

While Marseille One Design concludes the racing season for the GC32s in 2014, Lenne intends to take his boat to Miami to train over the winter, where he will be joined by a new American GC32 owner.

thegreatcup.com

Luna Rossa's Foiling 45s
After Luna Rossa Piranha, who has been sailing since July 1st, today Luna Rossa Swordfish - the second AC45 with which the team is developing its design and training for the 35th America's Cup - also started sailing again in Cagliari.

The Protocol of the 35th America's Cup in fact allows the modification of any component of the AC45 catamarans - used in past editions of the America's Cup World Series - except for the shape of the hulls.

During this first phase the modifications focused essentially on the optimization of the appendages - daggerboards and rudders - and on-board systems that allow the AC45 catamarans to fully foil. These "new" catamarans are capable of greatly increased performances and can simulate the sailing conditions of the AC62 catamarans ("full foiling" with a 30-meter wing) that will be used in the 35th America's Cup.

Luna Rossa Piranha and Luna Rossa Swordfish have thus become real test laboratories for components, systems, data collection and analysis, as well as the ideal platforms to train the crew in manoeuvers, boat handling and foiling tactics and techniques.

www.lunarossachallenge.com

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From John Burnie: Is Adrian Morgan being deliberately contentious in his views? I am aware Adrian spent a quite a lot of time sailing on a 25ft Vertue wooden boat - I assume this is where his "speed envy and outrage" began! All racing folk hate being overtaken by another yacht. I used to own a Contessa 26 - brilliant boat - but I felt obliged to cure myself of the 3kt syndrome after an Optimist flashed by me in Chichester Harbour.

I have been lucky enough since to have raced on a speedy Orma 60 - just brilliant fun despite naysayers condemning the class as dangerous, experimental and flawed. Now I would give my eye teeth to do some serious foiling on a big boat offshore. Foiling boats need to evolve at all levels - only the most cynical are still in denial that AC foiling is one of the most exciting developments in sailing recently.

Without brave innovation and experimentation life rarely progresses. Even more surprising to me is Adrian's unreserved admiration of all Kiwi sailors. I cannot be alone in knowing that certain high profile campaigns actively avoid taking on dullards who fail to understand it's OK to smile and laugh on a boat occasionally.

So the choices are - a) sailing along in a tub with a bunch of one dimensional sailors who don't know any good jokes or b) participating on a technically challenging speed machine with some good blokes, preferably some of whom are French. Adrian Morgan is implying we drive the car forward looking in the rear view mirror. And lest he forget - the Kiwis are mostly responsible for all this foiling nonsense anyway!

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The Last Word
To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth. -- Voltaire

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