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ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyeres
From the words of the sailors competing at ISAF Sailing World Cup Hyères it was a beautiful ending to a perfect week.

More than 1,100 sailors from 59 nations raced at the final ISAF Sailing World Cup regatta of the 2013-2014 series and were treated to exceptional race action.

Medals across the ten Olympic events were decided on the final day with a 10-12 knot westerly breeze on flat water bringing a superb week to an end.

Final top three by class:

2.4 Metre
1. Heiko Kroger, GER
2. Damien Seguin, FRA
3. Megan Pascoe, GBR

470 Men
1. Mathew Belcher / William Ryan, AUS
2. Panagiotis Mantis / Pavlos Kagialis, GRE
3. Sofian Bouvet / Jeremie Mion, FRA

470 Women
1. Jo Aleh / Polly Powrie, NZL
2. Sophie Weguelin / Eilidh McIntyre, GBR
3. Anne Haeger / Briana Provancha, USA

49er
1. Peter Burling / Blair Tuke, NZL
2. Ryan Seaton / Matthew Mcgovern, IRL
3. Nathan Outteridge / Iain Jensen, AUS

49erFX
1. Martine Soffiatti Grael / Kahena Kunze, BRA
2. Alexandra Maloney / Molly Meech, NZL
3. Ida Marie Baad Nielsen / Marie THusgaard Olsen, DEN

Finn
1. Pieter-Jan Postma, NED
2. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic, CRO
3. Thomas Le Breton, FRA

Laser
1. Tom Burton, AUS
2. Andy Maloney, NZL
3. Rutger van Schaardenburg, NED

Laser Radial
1. Evi Van Acker, BEL
2. Tatiana Drozdovskaya, BLR
3. Marit Bouwmeester, NED

NACRA 17
1. Vittorio Bissaro / Silvia Sicouri, ITA
2. Billy Besson / Marie Riou, FRA
3. Darren Bundock / Nina Curtis, AUS

RS:X Men
1. Piotr Myszka, POL
2. Pawel Tarnowski, POL
3. KDorian Van Rijsselberge, NED

RS:X Women
1. Moana Delle, GER
2. Jiahui Wu, CHN
3. Maja Dziarnowska, POL

Sonar
1. John Robertson / Hannah Stodel / Stephen Thomas, GBR
2. Bruno Jourdren / Nicolas Vimont Vicary / Eric Flageul, FRA
3. Colin Harrison / John Harris / Russell Boaden, AUS

Full results: www.sailing.org/worldcup/home.php

Come From Behind Victory For Peninsula Petroleum
Photo by Nico Martinez, www.martinezstudio.es. Click on image for photo gallery.

Racing on the final day of the RC44 Cascais Cup proved an emotional rollercoaster ride for everyone at different times over the course of three races.

Conditions today reverted to idyllic with the sun out, clear skies and a northerly wind that started at 12 knots and built to 18.

Having relieved Peninsula Petroleum of the lead yesterday, Vladimir Prosikhin's Team Nika started the day with a slender two point advantage, the two boats having edged ahead of third and fourth. This was all to change during today's first race, when both boats scored unusually poor results, leaving Nika ahead, but with three boats poised, just three points behind her.

In the second race, Team Nika fought back to take the win, but Peninsula Petroleum was second. Now there was four points separating the two leaders. But then the situation turned on its head. In the final race Nika made a poor start and from there never recovered, finishing 11th. Peninsula Petroleum came home second, enough for John Bassadone's Gibraltar-based team to win the RC44 Cascais Cup by three points, while Team Nika dropped to third.

Aside from Team Nika in the second race, today's other race winners were Andrea Pozzi's Bombarda in race one while Valentin Zavadnikov and Leonid Lebedev's Synergy claimed race three.

Also remarkable was the performance of Nico Poons' Charisma in its first ever RC44 regatta. With London 2012 Laser gold medallist and Oracle Team USA strategist Tom Slingsby calling tactics, the Dutch businessman's team ended the regatta in fourth place, ahead of much more experienced RC44 teams after scoring a 3-11-7 today.

Next up for the RC44 class is the RC44 Sotogrande Cup, in the south of Spain, over 25-29th June.

RC44 Cascais Cup Overall Results (After 12 races)

1. Peninsula Petroleum Sailing Team, 52 points
2. Team Aqua, 55
3. Team Nika, 57
4. Charisma, 66
5. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, 70
6. Artemis Racing, 73
7. Bronenosec Sailing Team, 75
8. Bombarda Racing, 79
9. GAZPROM Youth Sailing Challenge, 83
10. Katusha, 94
11. Aleph Racing, 99
12. MAG Racing, 125

www.rc44.com

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

Honey, they shrunk the planet
Jocelyn Bleriot brings us up to date with the Trophee Jules Verne

Onwards
And London 2012 is ancient history as Andy Rice reports from Palma

Bol d'Or Mirabaud
The queen of lake regattas

High-performance composites
King Marine are (literally) heading for outer space

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Line Honours Win For Leopard In Yachting World Round Antigua Race
Racing at Antigua Sailing Week continued on Saturday, April 26, with the Yachting World Round Antigua Race. Thirty-nine yachts entered the race which started in glorious conditions with 15 knots of breeze from the southeast and a moderate sea state: champagne conditions were the order of the day. The breeze piped up a good deal on the windward side of Antigua but an area of calm winds on the northwest corner of the island and a dead beat to the finish, slowed the fleet.

Mike Slade's Farr 100, ICAP Leopard took line honours in an elapsed time of 5 Hours, 13 minutes and 40 seconds to win the Yachting World Trophy. "This is the first time Leopard has competed in this race, so I am delighted that ICAP Leopard's name will be going on the trophy," commented Mike Slade. "The Yachting World Round Antigua Race has certain similarities to the Round the Island Race [Isle of Wight] in the Solent, which along with Antigua is one of my favourite places to sail anywhere in the world. The wind conversion zone was a crucial area, but Chris Sherlock, Hugh Agnew, Pol Hoj-Jensen and all the crew did a great job getting us through it."

Karl Funk's Kernan 47, True, showed great pace to win both CSA 0 and CSA overall after time correction. True beat several larger yachts around the course and looks to be a force to be reckoned with at Antigua Sailing Week which starts today (Sunday). Rob Date's Australian RP52, Scarlet Runner, was runner-up in class and overall.

Ross Applebey's Oyster 48, Scarlet Oyster, was the winner of CSA 1. Scarlet Oyster has been chartered to Team Proteus and many of the crew have just completed a circumnavigation as part of the Oyster World Rally. Andy Middleton's First 47.7, Global Yacht Racing, was just 26 seconds behind after time correction.

In CSA 2, Sir Peter Harrison's Cork 1720, skippered by Marc Fitzgerald, was the victor. Team Sojana was the smallest yacht in the race and also corrected out to claim second overall.

www.sailingweek.com

The 34th Edition Of The Student Yachting World Cup
The SYWoC (for Student Yachting World Cup) is an event organized every year in France by students for students. Created in 1979 under the name of Course de l'Europe, the cup was just meant to great participants from Western Europe. But, as time went by, more and more Eastern European countries joined the cup. That's why the Course de l'Europe changed its name to become the SYWoC.

Now, any country can take part at this yearly-event. For now, one country is represented by only one team, who represents its university (or school) too. The university winning the SYWoC is pre-selected to take part to the next edition to defend their tittle.

The regatta lasts an entire week and gathers about 150 competitors, representing 15 countries from all around the world.

After a strong competition in Pornic last year sailing J80s, the 34th edition of SYWoC is going back to La Rochelle and the famous and widely used Grand Surprise boats. From the 15th to the 22nd of October the top teams of Universities from around the world will fight in the famous French sailing town. -- Icarus Sailing Media, www.icarussailingmedia.com

www.sywoc.org

Normandy Channel Race 2014
The Normandy Channel Race has confirmed its status as a major meeting by kick-starting the Class40 season with some 20 duos already registered and a month to go till the race start on Sunday 25 May.

Among the leading projects we find the winner of the last Transat Jacques Vabre and 2013 Class40 champion, Sebastien Rogues (GDF / SUEZ), Miranda Merron and Halvard Mabire (CAMPAGNE DE FRANCE), Damien Seguin (ERDF - Des pieds et des mains), Jean Christophe Caso and Aymeric Chappellier (TEAM PICOTY - LAC DE VASSIVIERES), Yannick Bestaven, winner of the Transat Jacques Vabre 2011 and 4th in 2013, as well as Pierre-Yves Lautrou (L'EXPRESS - TREPIA ), who will be sailing with Thomas Ruyant, winner of the 1st edition of the race and also Route du Rhum and Mini Transat champion.

Past Mini sailors make up a large contingent to this year's competition with representation from TEAM WORK, with Bertrand Delesne, 4th in the last edition, and David Raison, winner of the Mini Transat 2011 and the naval architect responsible for the revolutionary scow bow Mini. Jean Galfione is also returning to the event on TEAM SERENIS CONSULTING with Eric Peron, the latter currently leading the Transat AG2R.

Registration remains open until 1 May and all the projects will be presented during the press conference on Wednesday 21 May in Caen.

With regards to new features, the implementation of a new satellite positioning system will enable everyone to closely monitor the race via the website cartography with a position every 15' day and night. The course to Ireland remains the same but Race Management has paved the way for a number of variants in the English Channel in the event of weather difficulties. -- Translated by Kate Jennings

www.normandy-race.com

Gill - Never Stand Still
The Gill collection has grown rapidly over recent years and as an increasingly global brand - understanding what people like and why they like it is the key to successfully responding to differing market requirements.

Our policy is never to stand still and we have an ongoing programme of testing and evaluation of new materials, components and manufacturing technology. We work very closely with technology partners, keeping us at the forefront of new developments. As boats are becoming faster and lighter so we too are taking advantage of developments in material and design technology.

Product, fabric and component testing and quality assurance are at the core of all our product development programmes. We believe that no other marine brand invests as much time and resource into testing, with over 25% of our company employed in product design and development. We have our own in-house testing facility as well as working with leading laboratories around the world.

See Seahorse magazine:
www.seahorsemagazine.com/current-issue/192-gill-never-stands-still

Scottish Series Names New Sponsor
Scotland's most best known yacht racing regatta has announced headline sponsors Silvers Marine. The new owners of the iconic Scottish Boatyard Silver Hills, Rosneath, have confirmed their support and sponsorship for the 40th Anniversary of the Scottish Series Regatta.

The event, organised by the Clyde Cruising Club (CCC), has gained much recognition over the years and will be celebrating 40 years of success as Silvers Marine Scottish Series 2014. Hosted in the west coast village of Tarbert Loch Fyne this is a popular event for sailors from Scotland, Ireland, England and abroad.

The Silvers Marine Scottish Series 2014 will commence with a race from Gourock to Tarbert on Friday 23 May scheduled to start at 10:00hrs. This will be a spectacular site with many yachts tussling on the start line including Ocean Racers Drum and Clyde Challenger. The race programme will then include further races on Loch Fyne on Saturday 24 - Monday 26 May with the Regatta concluding with the prize giving in Tarbert on Monday 26 April after completion of racing.

From Afloat magazine: afloat.ie

Racing On The Ragged Edge
Click on image to enlarge.

The 1969 One Ton Cup victory of Chris Bouzaid (owner-skipper) and his exceptional crew, Roy Dickson, Alan Warwick, Ward Schofield, John Woolley and Dave Craig, was destined to become an essential marker in the maturing of the sport of sailing in New Zealand.

In 1966, Bouzaid, a young Auckland sail-maker and father of a then, very young son Richard, had sold the family home to assist in the building of the then latest Sparkman & Stevens One Ton Cup design, the 36 foot 'Rainbow II'. From the moment she was launched and while she was in Bouzaid's capable hands, Rainbow II won 121 races over three years. Among the victories were the Whangarei to Noumea and the Sydney to Hobart races in 1967, Kiel Week in Germany and the One Ton Cup in 1969. A month later, she won her divisions in both the Channel Race and the Fastnet Classic.

The reasons for the success of this little race-yacht were at least three-fold. Chris Bouzaid was a seriously success focused young man and with his 'to hell with the boat, go faster' attitude, he managed to surround himself with crew who understood and enjoyed his desire to wring every last drop of performance out of any boat that he sailed. And the third factor in this story of success was the yacht itself, designed by Olin Stevens, a designer with a winning reputation and at that time, at the peak of his profession!

Full article by Jim Bolland in A Brush With Sail:
www.abrushwithsail.blogspot.co.nz/

Royal Yacht Squadron Bicentenary
The Royal Yacht Squadron has confirmed that Rolex will be supporting the Club's Bicentenary Regatta, the spectacular international sailing event that will celebrate 200 years of the historic club's existence in July 2015.

The multi-format regatta takes place from 25th to 31st July 2015 in the UK's Solent.

The announcement of Rolex's participation coincides with the release of the confirmed Notice of Race and entry forms. Entries are already coming in from amongst the 25 clubs invited from 19 countries around the world, specially selected by the Royal Yacht Squadron in recognition of friendships that have evolved through mutual and reciprocal sailing activities over many years. Invitations have also been extended to the Cowes Combined Clubs.

The whole event will consist of four days of inshore racing from either the Squadron line or a committee vessel with also a clockwise Race Around the Island (RATI).

Competing club teams can charter a pair of J80s from a local fleet of twelve for the Bicentenary Team Racing event or charter one of a fleet of 25 Beneteau First 40s designed by Bruce Farr which are being provided to create a level rating class. Charter packages have been prepared by the Squadron and are available to members of the invited clubs.

The bulk of the inshore racing fleet, however, will be made up of the IRC class in rating bands 1.050 to 1.850, allowing for yachts ranging from typically 40ft to supermaxi racer whose numbers will be limited to 200 yachts, either owned by members of the selected clubs or chartered.

The Race Around the Island is set to be the most breathtaking spectacle of the UK 2015 sailing calendar when the inshore fleets will be joined by an additional number of larger maxi yachts, sailing superyachts, and multihulls whose ratings are higher than those of the inshore rating bands, many of which will have just arrived in the UK after taking part in the Transatlantic Race from Newport, Rhode Island a few weeks previously. There will also be trophies for two-boat teams competing within the IRC class.

rys.org.uk

Bright New Future For 2015 Australian Three Peaks Race
For 25 years the Australian Three Peaks Race has been an iconic event on the Tasmanian calendar.

Thousands of people gather at the start to watch the teams of four sailors and two runners set out into Bass Strait for the 600 kilometre journey around Tasmania's scenic but challenging eastern coastline to Hobart. Enroute the towns of Lady Barron on Flinders Island and Coles Bay near Freycinet National Park play host to the teams and many visitors following the event.

After each sailing leg runners make the gruelling ascents of Mt Strzelecki, Mt Freycinet, and Mt Wellington; a combined distance of more than 130 kms of mountain running.

Following the 2013 race the voluntary committee that organises the event were informed by their host club Port Dalrymple Yacht Club that the club had a divergent view on the future of the race, and in October the club gave notice of intention to terminate the Memorandum of Understanding with the committee.

Whilst it may have initially appeared that the race was homeless, the Three peaks Inc. committee took the opportunity to defer the 2014 race, and use the time to examine every aspect of the event in order to enhance it for the next 25 years.

The Three Peaks Inc. committee are pleased to announce that a Memorandum of Understanding has recently been signed between their committee and the Mersey Yacht Club, who will host the Australian Three Peaks Race and provide the start facilities.

Whilst the Three Peaks has traditionally been an Easter event, it was also determined that a new start time would provide positive benefits.

The 2015 Australian Three Peaks Race will commence in the Mersey River on the evening of Friday March 6th

More at www.threepeaks.org.au

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