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Rio Nor Released
The competition begins on 8 August and runs until 18 August at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Notice of Race states the key conditions for the 10 sailing events at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and includes details on the rules, regulations, entry and qualification guidelines, format, scoring, schedule, venue and courses.

Athletes, coaches, trainers and other team officials shall comply with the Olympic Charter, as well as with the World Sailing rules, in order to be eligible for participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Sailing competition, and shall be entered by a National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Click here to view the Notice of Race

World Sailing Olympic Website - www.sailing.org/olympics/rio2016/home.php

Artemis Racing Launches Second Turbo
Artemis Racing has made a flying start to 2016, relocating the team's sailing operations to Bermuda, and perhaps even more significantly, launching its second turbo development boat of this America's Cup campaign.

The new boat, nicknamed 'T2', was launched in Alameda, California, in early January.

Design Coordinator, Adam May, provides an insight into the team's development pathway for the 35th America's Cup:

"Very early in this America's Cup's cycle we upgraded our existing foiling AC45, a boat similar to those used in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series, to boost its performance and provide a platform to test appendages."

"However, our development path truly began with our sister ship turbo program. 'T1' was launched in February 2015 as a test platform scaled to be similar to the AC62 class. The original AC45 foiler was then retired and converted into T2. There was a pause during its build while the AC class changed, and many features such as a similar deck layout to that of the new AC Class were incorporated into T2."

"T2 is our second fully loaded turbo charged AC45. The extra beam (for more righting moment), larger wing, cockpits, and full fairing package; make it a very different beast to the narrow traditional AC45s with foils."

artemis-racing.americascup.com

32nd Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse Set To Open Mediterranean Season
32nd Primo Cup Taking full advantage since 2014 of its new Clubhouse and sailing facilities, the Yacht Club de Monaco has ramped up its winter race programme over the last two years. Its monthly Sportsboat Winter Series of regattas for Melges 20s and J/70s (Oct-March) is attracting ever more sailors from north Europe who make Monaco their training base.

Act 4 of this Series is the Primo Cup - Trophee Credit Suisse, a major regatta that for over 30 years has opened the Mediterranean race season.

With 150+ boats (800+ sailors, 14 nationalities) registered in seven classes alongside IRC 1-4 classes; free trials of the one-design trimaran Diam 24od, competing for the first time; and an umpires course organised with World Sailing, the 32nd edition is set to live up to its reputation as a classic. The classes are:

1st weekend (5-7 Feb): Surprise (also Act 1 of the Surprise Europ' Sailing Championship), Smeralda 888, Star, SB20 and IRC 1-4.

2nd weekend (12-14 Feb): alongside the Diam 24ods are 35 J/70s with an increasingly international fleet since the YCM hosted the Europeans in October, and 27 Melges 20s. In the latter, 16 teams hail from Russia including Alekxandr Ezhkov (Pirogovo) and Vladimir Prosikhin (Nika), RC44 2015 World Champion, currently ranked 1st and 2nd in the Winter Series championship.

Between the two weekends World Sailing is running another umpires course led by Neven Baran from World Sailing's Racing Rules Committee, as he did for the J/70 Europeans. The focus is on direct arbitration on the water for fleet races that has been in operation at YCM international regattas all winter.

www.ycm.org
www.yacht-club-monaco.mc

Vendee Globe Heading For A Record-Breaking 8th Edition
With nine months left to go to the start, 27 skippers are officially registered, one more has signed up at the last minute and three others have pre-registered. No fewer than nine nations may be represented this year (France, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, the United States, New Zealand, Switzerland, Hungary and the Netherlands). This will be a record for the event, confirming once again the global reach of this race.

The nerve centre for the Vendee Globe will be hosted by the City of Paris on Mail Branly, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. This 1700 square metre area for the media centre and race HQ (1000 square metres ground surface area) host many special events and exhibitions, as well as a bar and restaurant open to the public.

The following skippers will be competing in the 8th Vendee Globe:

01 Jeremie Beyou (FRA) /Maitre Coq.
02 Tanguy de Lamotte (FRA) / Initiatives Cœur.
03 Vincent Riou (FRA) PRB.
04 Morgan Lagraviere (FRA) / Safran.
05 Armel Le Cleac'h (FRA) / Banque Populaire.
06 Paul Meilhat (FRA) / SMA.
07 Sebastien Destremau (FRA) / FaceOcean.
08 Eric Bellion (FRA) / Comme Un Seul Homme.
09 Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA) /StMichel-Virbac.
10 Fabrice Amedeo (FRA) / Newrest-Matmut.
11 Sebastien Josse (FRA) / Edmond de Rothschild.
12 Yann Elies (FRA) / Queguiner-Leucemie Espoir.
13 Thomas Ruyant (FRA) / Le Souffle du Nord.
14 Nicolas Boidevezi (FRA) / adopteunskipper.net.
15 Kito de Pavant (FRA) / Bastide-Otio.
16 Jean Le Cam (FRA) / N/a.
17 Bertrand de Broc (FRA) / MACSF.
18 Louis Burton (FRA) / Bureau Vallee.
19 Nandor Fa (HUN) / Spirit of Hungary.
20 Rich Wilson (USA) / Great American IV.
21 Alex Thomson (GB) / Hugo Boss.
22 Arnaud Boissieres (FRA) / La Mie Caline.
23 Richard Tolkien (GB / N/a).
24 Alan Roura (CH / N/a), Un Vendee Pour La Suisse.
25 Stephane Le Diraison (FRA - N/a).
26 Pieter Heerema (NL / N/a).
27 Romain Attanasio (FRA / N/a)
+ 1 last minute registration: Didac Costa (Spain)
+ 3 pre-registered candidates: Alessandro di Benedetto (ITA), Jean-Francois Pellet (FRA - Come in Vendee) and Conrad Colman (NZ).

www.vendeeglobe.org

America's Cup Teams Post 360 Degree Videos
Teams set to compete at the upcoming America's Cup are experimenting with the trend of offering 360 degree video on YouTube, with both Oracle Team USA and SoftBank Team Japan releasing videos highlighting their training efforts.

The video from Oracle Team USA gives viewers a 360 degree view of the team's workout area, with the sailors utilizing different pieces of equipment as they train.

The video from SoftBank Team Japan takes viewers onto Bermuda's waters as the team trains aboard a vessel, providing a 360 degree view of both their work and the island setting.

To rotate the view while watching the videos, use the arrow buttons provided in the top left corner.

Team New Zealand Given Government Grant For Research And Development
Team New Zealand's America's Cup bid has been boosted by some government backing for their research and development work.

The government decided against directly backing the latest campaign for Bermuda 2017 despite substantial investment in previous cups.

But that opened the door for Team New Zealand to apply for a growth grant through Callaghan Innovation, the government agency supporting hi-tech businesses in New Zealand.

That door had previously been closed to them because of the millions of dollars in direct government sponsorship.

Team New Zealand are seen as leaders in the marine industry with their research and development. They led the way in foiling for the last America's Cup in San Francisco and much of their work spills over into yachting's racing and recreational industries.

"What we do, and what we develop has a flow-on effect on to the New Zealand marine industry as well as so many other New Zealand businesses where there is cross over in the technology we develop. This is at the core of the Callaghan Innovation's R&D fund - helping New Zealand businesses succeed through technology. And the team has a proven record of leading the way in marine technology," Team New Zealand CEO Grant Dalton said.

www.stuff.co.nz

Job Description - Experienced Sail Designer Quantum Sails Is Seeking
Quantum Sails An experienced, organized, detail-oriented Sail Designer to focus on production products for racing and cruising clients. Responsibilities include designing sails and preparing production details as well as providing support to local loft production and sales and service teams. This position will be required to coordinate details with members of the Global Sales Team to ensure finished products meet client needs and with the Production Department to ensure accurate and efficient construction. Sail Designers report to the VP of Design & Engineering.

Job Requirements

The ideal candidate will be proficient in AutoCad and/or AutoSketch, have strong sailing skills, excellent internal and external customer service skills, and hands-on sailmaking experience. Minimum experience of five years in a similar role is required. Must be eligible to work in the United States. This person will train in Annapolis and will then work out of our loft in San Francisco.

Send resumes/CVs to

"More Oomph" Forecast As Clipper Fleet Approaches Waypoint
Passing to the north-east of the Philippines, the Da Nang New Discovery of Asia Race leader Derry~Londonderry~Doire is within 160 nautical miles of the next waypoint between the island of Itbayat and Taiwan, with the front eight boats all expected to round the mark within the next 24 hours.

Having had some settled conditions recently, the weather is about to change again for the fleet, as Clipper Race Meteorologist Simon Rowell explains: "It's all getting rather interesting at the corner. The weak front at the Luzon Straits should move over the fleet as it heads towards the waypoint. It shouldn't be particularly strong, though there will undoubtedly be some localised squall activity.

"The following front looks to have more oomph with quite strong north-north-east winds behind it - perfect if you've made the corner, not so great if you haven't. At the moment I think these will gust 35-40 knots, and could be more if accelerated around any nearby land."

GREAT Britain remains in second place and holds a 27nM lead over Qingdao in third.

clipperroundtheworld.com

EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour
In its sixth year, Oman Sail's signature event, EFG Sailing Arabia - The Tour (15-29 February) has a brand new route designed not only to showcase the natural beauty of the Arabian Gulf but to level the playing field among the nine teams from across the GCC and Europe making a bid for this year's crown.

The only multi-stage long-distance offshore endurance race in the Middle East now has a demanding 280 nautical mile leg from Doha in Qatar to Khasab on the Musandam Peninsular in Oman.

The event kicks off in Dubai on 15 February with an inshore race where the fleet of identical Farr 30s race around a series of marks on a short course at Palm Jumeirah's artificial archipelago before heading off on the first upwind leg to Abu Dhabi.

Team Averda and EFG Bank Monaco start the 2016 race as favourites but Swiss team Bienne Voile, Team Mangold representing Austria and Germany, Team Delft Challenge from the Netherlands and Kuwait's Team Zain all have podium places in sight, as do the Omani teams - to be announced in the coming days that will include an all-women's team and an all-Omani male crew with Oman Sail offshore and Extreme Sailing regulars Fahad Al Hasni and Nasser Al Mashari on board.

sailingarabiathetour.com

The "Flying Catamarans" Reach The Copa Del Rey MAPFRE
With only five months until the 35th edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE, the regatta has announced the incorporation of a new class, and a double novelty: both catamarans and foils will be joining the Real Club Náutico de Palma's event this summer, as part of the GC32 Racing Tour.

At least eight boats are expected to participate in this new addition to the Copa del Rey MAPFRE: their competition will begin on Wednesday 3rd August, and finish on Saturday 6th August. There are a maximum of six races planned per day, each to last about 20 minutes.

"The incorporation of the GC32 will be a great novelty in this 35th edition of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. These kinds of high performance flying boats are becoming extremely popular in sailing, and as one of the most important sailing events in the Mediterranean, we must also include the new generation of sailing in our regatta," explained the President of the Real Club Náutico de Palma, Javier Sanz.

www.regatacopadelrey.com

Vincent Riou Signs Up For The Transat
The Transat is pleased to announce ocean racing legend Vincent Riou (PRB) will once again be on start line in Plymouth and heading for America.

A seasoned offshore competitor, Riou is back to take his revenge on The Transat in 2016. During the 2008 edition, while leading the fleet, Riou was forced to jump ship and abandon the race following a collision with a basking shark that badly damaged his boat's keel.

Eight years on Riou is again a definite race favourite among the IMOCA 60 fleet, boasting two Transat Jacques Vabre wins and a Vendee Globe victory among his many offshore accolades. Like many of the top names on The Transat entry list this year, the 43-year-old skipper will use the 3,000-mile transatlantic race as a warm-up for the 2016 Vendee Globe starting in November.

The race record for monohulls currently stands at 12 days, 11 hours and 45 minutes - four weeks less than the first win by Sir Francis Chichester in 1960.

www.thetransat.com

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The Last Word
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