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Xavier Macaire Takes Figaro Leg Four And (Provisional) Overall Victory
A disastrous final leg for Yann Elies, finishing in 17th place, puts him into overall second place, losing the overall championship by just 15 minutes

Elies finshed leg four in 3 days, 10 hours, 26 minutes

Finishing in first place and taking the overall victory was Xavier Macaire, finishing in 3 days, 9 hours and 14 minutes. That finish, and Elies total time, put Macaire into the overall victory.

Over all and leg four times are provisional.

Leg Four top ten finishes:

1. Skipper Herault, Xavier Macaire
2. Agir Recouvrement, Adrien Hardy
3. Guyot Environnement, Vincent Biarnes
4. Skipper Macif 2014, Yoann Richomme
5. Team Vendee, Benjamin Dutreux
6. Groupe Fiva, Alexis Loison
7. Sofinther - Un Maillot Pour La Vie, Corentin Douguet
8. Bretagne Credit Mutuel Performance, Corentin Horeau
9. Maitre Coq, Jeremie Beyou
10. Gedimat, Thierry Chabagny

FInal top ten overall rankings (provisional, protests expected)

Boat - Skipper - Overall cumulative time
1. Skipper Herault, Xavier Macaire, 11 days 21h 1m 43s
2. Groupe Queguiner - Leucemie Espoir, Yann Elies, 0h 15m 31s behind winner
3. Skipper Macif 2015, Charlie Dalin, 0h 38m 47s
4. Maitre Coq, Jeremie Beyou, 2h 10m 39s
5. Safran - Guy Cotten, Gwenole Gahinet, 2h 25m 26s
6. Groupe Fiva, Alexis Loison, 3h 03m 14s
7. Gedimat, Thierry Chabagny, 3h 09m 56s
8. Skipper Macif 2014, Yoann Richomme, 3h 13m 53s
9. Magma Structures, Alan Roberts, 7h 12m 21s
10. Guyot Environnement, Vincent Biarnes, 7h 22m 55s

lasolitaire.com

Land Rover Confirmed As Ben Ainslie Racing's Title Partner
Ben Ainslie Racing, the British Challenger for the 35th America's Cup, is delighted to announce a new global partnership with Land Rover. As Title and Exclusive Innovation Partner, Jaguar Land Rover's engineers and designers will work closely with the team to provide race winning technology.

The new team, renamed Land Rover BAR, was announced at their new 74,000sqft purpose-built, sustainable (BREEAM Excellent) home in Portsmouth, UK, days after the facility became fully operational.

Jaguar Land Rover's Advanced Engineering Team has already started work on a number of design challenges where they can contribute their unique knowledge. The British automotive manufacturer will become a core member of the team's Technical Innovation Group (TIG), powered by PA Consulting.

Land Rover BAR will start their challenge - representing Royal Yacht Squadron Racing - for the America's Cup at home in Portsmouth in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series Portsmouth, in a month's time. Over 90,000 tickets have already been sold for the four days, 23rd to the 26th July 2015.

www.landroverbar.com

*|YOUTUBE:[$vid=vcoijuNiXjc, $max_width=500, $title=N, $border=N, $trim_border=N, $ratings=N, $views=N]|*

Henri Lloyd Elite Offshore - The Collection - Micro Climate And Therm
The Henri Lloyd Elite Offshore shore collection includes jackets, smock, hi-fit trousers and salopette, as well as mid and base layers:

Elite H-Therm is a revolutionary mid layer, 100% waterproof shell with fully taped seams, "extreme breathability" and Primaloft® high loft wadding for warmth without weight. Can be used on its own in light spray conditions or with the Elite Offshore range for complete offshore protection

H-Therm Mid Layer jacket:
Articulated ergonomic fit, adjustable cuffs, fleece lined collar

H-Therm mid Layer Salopette:
Ergonomic fit adjustable waist, shoulders, leg cuffs

Therm base layer:
Crew tops and tights are high wicking, high stretch and extremely breathable, with a brushed inner face for insulation and to dissipate moisture away from the body

The Lightest, Most Breathable Offshore Gear Ever, Without Compromise: www.henrilloyd.com/elite/

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Rio Hopefuls Will Compete In The RTI Race
Team Volvo sailors Giles Scott and Hannah Mills of the British Sailing Team will be taking to the water on board the IMOCA 60 JP Morgan Asset Management Rosalba in this year's J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, organised by the Island Sailing Club, on 27th June. Both are taking time out of their Rio 2016 Olympic training schedule to join this year's race. London 2012 Olympic silver medallist Hannah Mills is currently campaigning for Rio 2016 with sailing partner Saskia Clarke in the 470 Womens class. After winning a gold medal at their recent World Cup event in Weymouth they have been selected to compete at the Rio Olympic Test event in August.

This will be Hannah's 3rd time competing in the Race.

Giles Scott is one of the most successful athletes in the British Sailing Team, currently unbeaten for over 18 months in the Finn Class. He too won a gold medal at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Weymouth and announced as part of the team to compete at the Olympic test event held in Rio ahead of next year's games

"I am really excited to get out on the water for this year's race, I have never been on an IMOCA 60 before so I'm really excited to helm that; it will be very different from my Finn."

This year's race will once again feature GPS tracking of the fleet. Spectators around the world will be able to follow the race live, and replay facilities will be available after the race to allow you to compare performances.

www.roundtheisland.org.uk

ICRA Nationals & Sovereign's Cup
Photo by David Branigan/Oceansport, www.oceansport.ie. Click on image for photo gallery.

Kinsale, Co. Cork, Ireland: The Irish Cruiser Racing Association (ICRA) National Championship and Sovereigns' Cup 2015 got underway Wednesday 24th until Saturday 27th June at Kinsale Yacht Club.

There has been an exceptional response by sailing crews from almost every coastal county in Ireland and many from the UK, as 112 boats have entered this major event. The four-day event will decide four national titles as well as the coveted Sovereign's Cup, ensuring close competition in each class.

In Division 0, the highest rated boat is the Ker 40 'Keronimo,' that is expected to plane at speeds in the high teens if the wind speed rises, so she will take some beating- particularly on the round the cans courses. 'Roxy' will worth watching also as she was on the 2010 commodores cup winning team and is expected to be well crewed. Conor and Denise Phelan's 'Jump juice' is also consistent and one to watch.

IRC 1 is a very competitive mix; the highest rated boat 'Bam' - a Sunfast 3600 - is somewhat of an unknown entity but her chined hull will suit the reaching around the cans courses. It will be very interesting to see how she stacks up against proven IRC performers such as the J109s and A35s.

IRC 2 is an ultra-competitive division. All eyes will be on half Tonner 'Checkmate'.

IRC 3 is no less competitive: all the Corby 25's will feature.

IRC 4 features some strong quarter tonners that are expected to feature this year. 'Quest' and 'Black Fun' enjoy medium/heavy air, not forgetting a challenge from 'Anchor', a super all rounder.

Many of the Ireland's best racing crews will be competing for the Sovereigns' Cup under the international IRC handicap system that is also used to decide the ICRA national championship titles. The Portcullis Trophy will be awarded to competitors under the ECHO handicap system.

www.sovereignscup.com

International Moth Uk National Championship
Tomorrow sees the UK foiling Moth community descend on Stokes Bay Sailing Club for the International Moth National Championship. To date, 57 helms have entered and more are expected to enter on arrival.

Home club sailor Chris Rashley must be favourite going into the event having finished as top Brit in the last two World Championships (4th in Sorrento 2015 and 2nd at Hayling Island in 2014).

Stokes Bay was described by Rob Greenhalgh as "a fantastic place to sail a Moth, and in recent seasons it has been breeding world class Moth sailors". Forecasts are currently predicting 10-12 knot winds on the opening two days, increasing over the weekend - perfect foiling conditions.

The event is kindly sponsored by Noble Marine, Ronstan and Blueteq. -- Mark Jardine

www.internationalmoth.co.uk
www.stokesbay-sc.co.uk

Mischievous' Wins Marion Bermuda Line Honors - Ti Wins Overall
‘TI’ skippered by Greg Marston. Photo by Fran Grenon Spectrum Photography. Click on image to enlarge.

'Mischievous' grabbed the line honors in the 2015 Marion Bermuda Race with a splendid performance. She crossed the finish line at St. David's Lighthouse Bermuda during the twilight Lighthouse committee cocktail party at the finish tower on Monday evening at 6:42 EDT. 'Mischievous' is a Meriten 65 sailed by cadets from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and skippered by Charles Cahill. Dozens of spectators cheered her as she crossed between the buoys that set the boundaries of the bearing from the lighthouse.

'Spirit of Bermuda', the Bermuda Sloop Foundation's sail training vessel chartered by Jim Butterfield for an employee team building adventure, had a strong fourth for line honors and first in the Classic Division compared to disappointing performance in past Bermuda Races.

'TI' skippered by Greg Marston can now be confirmed as the overall winner of the 2015 Marion Bermuda Race Founders Division. As expected yesterday, the leader for the overall corrected time trophy - The Founders Trophy - moved from Class C to Class D when 'TI', an Alden Mistral 36 sailed under Celestial Navigation by a family crew, grabbed the lead for the big prize. Her corrected time was 86hrs :35min :56sec. The crew of 'TI' consisted of the skipper Greg Marston, navigators Andrew Howe and Chase Marston, Watch Captain Peter Snoops, and crew members John Omeara and Jake Marston. They are all related, and all are from Falmouth Maine. -- Talbot Wilson

Preliminary awards listed at www.marionbermuda.com/scoring/summary.php

An Educational Record SNSM For Morgan Lagraviere
On Tuesday, June 23, Morgan Lagraviere and Nicolas Lunven took second place in the Record SNSM, a 325-mile loop from Saint-Nazaire. Beyond the event result, Morgan Lagraviere's first race onboard Safran was excellent training for the Transat Jacques Vabre.

"We had various conditions, made a lot of manoeuvres and were permanently active," Morgan Lagraviere, the skipper of Safran, explained. Lagraviere and Nicolas Lunven found what they were looking for in the Record SNSM: a full-scale test in preparation for the Transat Jacques Vabre in which they will sail together this autumn.

When they crossed the finish line in Saint-Nazaire on Tuesday morning after 39 hours of sailing, the duo took second place behind SMA, skippered by Paul Meilhat and Michel Desjoyeaux

The race had three phases: they had to head upwind to Groix, back downwind to the BXA safe water mark (at the mouth of the Gironde) and then back to Saint Nazaire, again upwind.

Starting this week, Safran will go into the boatyard for a month before the next event for the duo: the Fastnet Race, which takes place mid-August.

www.safran-sailingteam.com
www.recordsnsm.com

ISAF Match Race Rankings
The ISAF Match Racing Rankings for 17 June 2015 have been released.

Taylor Canfield (ISV) and Anna Kjellberg (SWE) have regained World #1 in the Open and Women's ISAF Match Race Rankings.

Taylor Canfield (ISV) removes Ian Williams (GBR) from World #1 in the Open Rankings following his victory at the Congressional Cup.

The pair are more than 1,000 points clear of the chasing bunch.

The ISAF Match Race Rankings work on a 24-month rolling system whereby competitors count eight events in total, four from the most recent 12 months and four from up to 24 months ago. Events contested within 12 months of each ranking release count for double.

As a result of this system Camilla Ulrikkeholm (DEN) loses several thousand points from an exceptional 2013-2014 season. Anna Kjellberg (SWE) is the benefactor of the system as she moves to World #1.

Top ten open rankings:
1. Taylor Canfield, ISV
2. Ian Williams, GBR
3. Eric Monnin, SUI
4. Mathieu Richard, FRA
5. Bjorn Hansen, SWE
6. Pierre-Antoine Morvan, FRA
7. Philip Robertson, NZL
8. Johnie Berntsson, SWE
9. Chris Steele, NZL
10. Reuben Corbett, NZL

Top ten women's ranking:
1. Anna Kjellberg, SWE
2. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
3. Stephanie ROble, USA
4. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA
5. Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen, DEN
6. Caroline Sylvan, SWE
7. Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED
8. Pauline Courtois, FRA
9. Milly Bennett, AUS
10. Lucy Macgregor, GBR

www.sailing.org/rankings/match/index.php

Canadian Sailor Has Japan Solo Circumnavigation In Sight
A Canadian ex-executive who once served as dean and president of Temple University Japan is getting closer to making history - as probably the first foreigner to sail solo around Japan.

Kirk Patterson, 61, has been trying to circumnavigate Japan on his sailboat since arriving in Hakodate from his hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, in June 2013.

Using an autopilot and relying almost entirely on wind and solar power, Patterson has already completed almost 90 percent of the 11,800-km route

He has stopped at around 120 ports, many of them tiny fishing piers unfamiliar to most travelers, meeting and befriending countless numbers of locals along the way.

www.japantimes.co.jp

World's Biggest Masts Are Finished For The World's Biggest Sailing Superyacht
In a tidal reach at the northern end of Portsmouth Harbour, the giant spars of two enormous superyachts have been taking shape in strict secrecy over the last three years.

The three masts of Project 787, the larger of these two projects, were finally revealed in June when the doors of Magma Structures's sheds were opened last week and the exquisitely curved carbon composite spars loaded to a barge to be shipped to the yard where the hull is being built in Germany.

The world's tallest freestanding rigs were in plain sight for the first time. Reputed to be excess of 100m and weighing 50 tonnes per rig, they exceed the tallest spar made to date, the 93m mainmast of the recently launched 85m Bill Tripp-designed ketch.

These rigs are believed to be destined for a vessel that will dwarf everything else under sail. They are for the world's largest sailing superyacht.

This project is believed to be White Pearl, a ship-like vessel that is being built at the ADM yard in Kiel. She is said be somewhere around 460ft (140m) overall, built in steel, and she will be the largest ever sail-driven superyacht.

Described with impressive understatement as "like giant Laser masts" these rigs are freestanding rotating masts. They will use battened soft sails and each rig will be rotated using hydraulically driven wings on each side of the boom.

The elegantly curved spars are painted a silver grey colour and are sculptural to look at, but monumental in scale. They terminate in a radical feature, a tapered finial that projects forward from the mast tip. -- Elaine Bunting

www.yachtingworld.com

YJA Voices Concern Over Water Pollution At Rio
The Yachting Journalists' Association (YJA) expresses extreme concern over the use of Guanabara Bay for the sailing events of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next year.

Despite continued protests over the state of the pollution of the water since the site was first approved in 2009, nothing has been achieved to limit or reduce the pollution in the bay and this has now reached a significantly dangerous level as well as failing to provide a level racetrack for the competitors.

Only a third of Rio de Janeiro's sewage is treated, and competitors in sailing events will need a series of innoculations.

Perhaps the only option would be to move the site of the Olympic Regatta to Búzios - just 75 miles from Rio de Janeiro - where the waters are clear and unpolluted. (Note: Weymouth, where the sailing events of the last Olympic Games were held in 2012, is 136 miles from London. In addition, there is a suitable marina at Buzios, which in six months could be altered for the major event).

The Yachting Journalists' Association strongly believes that it needs, simply, action - NOW. It is time to abandon Guanabara Bay as the venue and move it to a safe and clean water venue - IMMEDIATELY.

Letters To The Editor -
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* From Eddie Mays: I have just picked up the following from the Yachts & Yachting website about the Bewl Valley Sailing Club

In the grand scheme of things it is no doubt only a very minor ripple but this club has been a real bonus to the dinghy sailors in the southeast corner of England and has a very fine reputation as a sailing club. We are losing enough young sailors without losing a club that had a very positive attitude to the next generation.

The apparent intransigence of their landlords to explain their actions seems to be another example of appalling PR. Let's hope that this can be resolved and the club saved

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The Last Word
If I had my career over again? Maybe I'd say to myself, speed it up a little. -- James Stewart

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