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Beyou's Third Title
When he crossed the finish line off Cherbourg-Octeville at 11h20m50s (UTC +2hrs) this morning to win the 45th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro overall for the third time Jeremie Beyou, sailing Maître Coq, wrote himself into the solo race's record books, joining only three skippers to have triumphed overall three times.
Delivering almost metronomic consistency over the four stages, Beyou stepped up to win the final 390 miles stage from Les Sables d'Olonne which started on Sunday evening and took the 36 boat fleet via Manacles rocks by Falmouth, bettering his regular third place finishes which the Breton skipper from the Bay of Morlaix had successively returned into Plymouth, Roscoff and Les Sables d'Olonne.
Beyou won the race in 2005 and 2011 and so now joins an elite group of skippers who have won it three times, Philippe Poupon and Jean Le Cam Michel Desjoyeaux (1992-1998-2007). He triumphed over a race course which in the end totalled 1970 miles - after this fourth leg was shortened - and which offered a full complement of wind conditions.
On aggregated elapsed time Beyou won by 17 minutes and 56 secs over the four legs. He started in Les Sables d'Olonne on Sunday night with four skippers within 24 minutes and 02 seconds of his leading, reference cumulative time, Corentin Horeau (Bretagne Credit Mutuel Perfomance) was closest at 15 mins 13 secs behind. But through the final hours Beyou kept his rivals in check and still even managed to win the final leg.
Top ten overall:
1. Maitre Coq, Jeremie Beyou
2. Bretagne Credit Mutuel Performance, Corentin Horeau
3. Normandy Elite Team, Charlie Dalin
4. Interface Concept, Gildas Mahe
5. SMA, Paul Meilhat
6. Armor Lux - Le Comptoir De La Mer, Erwan Tabarly
7. Agir Recouvrement, Adrien Hardy
8. Un Maillot Pour La Vie, Corentin Douguet
9. Groupe Fiva, Alexis Loison
10. Gedimat, Thierry Chabagny
Top five, rookies:
1. Safran-Guy Cotten, Gwenole Gahinet
2. Artemis 21, Sam Matson
3. Artemis 77, Rich Mason
4. Darwin - Les marins de la lune, Clement Salzes
5. Made in Midi, Gwenael Gbick
Round Ireland Line Honours
Celebrations here in WSC Clubhouse as David Ryan and his crew cross the line at 18:25 this evening. The crew, very tired but very happy, came ashore in great form and, after enjoying a massive local welcome, have retired to the safety of the clubhouse, hot showers, hot food and flowing Guinness.
Unfortunately though, Ocean Tango was forced out earlier this afternoon, retiring to Burtonport with Eugene F Collins/Amazing Grace; we're sorry to see them have to leave the race.
Coming in later tonight, probably around 23.00 this evening or slightly earlier, should be Teng Tools, unless Newstalk can make up the few miles separating them at the moment.
So, Monster gets Line Honours, but Newstalk comes higher on corrected time.
Libertalia lies about 15 miles behind the other two 60 ft boats, and the shore crew are here already to prepare the welcome.
On estimated corrected time, Cavatina and Ruth are 1st and 2nd on VMG from start and also recent, with not much time between them. They should both get the benefit of the tide around Antrim. Inis Mor, Endgame & Tanit are also doing well.
With the bulk of the boats coming in from early tomorrow morning onwards, we're looking forward to a very busy, but very interesting, two days!
* Afloat magazine's predictions for top ten:
Predicting the overall result at this stage is akin to sticking a pin in the entry list, but Afloat has developed a very sophisticated algorithm over the years that has indicated the boats that are likely to be in the mix on corrected time at the finish.
Currently, our top ten looks like this:
1. Cavatina
2. Polished Manx
3. Big Deal (Sponsored by Union Chandlery)
4. Eugene F Collins/Amazing Grace
5. Tanit
6. Ocean Tango
7. IOS Desert Star
8. Dreamcatcher
9. McGregor IV
10. Ruth
With many miles to go, this list will be much refined before the winner emerges and much will depend on the positioning at the tidal gates of the North Channel.
Rondar Boats In The USA
Rondar Boats USA are pleased to announce that Mauri Pro is now an official outlet for their range of keelboats in the USA. Rondar Boats are well known for their successful VIPER 640, a 3-4 person high performance sportsboat, the K6, a 2-3 man keelboat, and the K1, a single-handed sailing/racing dinghy.
Mauri Pro is run by Juan Mauri, together with a passionate team of experienced sailors who are ideally placed to promote the main Rondar Raceboats US Classes: the Viper 640, the K6, and the K1. The Mauri Pro team share the goal of providing sailors with the most appropriate information to help sailors select the correct sailboat, hardware and equipment.
Juan Mauri started sailing at the age of 13 in Peru, sailing in the Sunfish class. He then moved to Lasers, J24's and Offshore Racing. In his sailing career he has won 27 National and International titles. Mauri Pro was started in 2003 as an online sailing store which has grown to be one of the biggest in the world.
Juan now campaigns the Viper 640 and has all the experience to offer advice on the right choice of craft to any aspiring sailor.
Luna Rossa On A Roll
Marstrand, Sweden: With 20 of the 24 flights of Qualifying now complete after day three of Stena Match Cup Sweden, the vital question is over who will make it through to the top eight and continue into Friday's Quarter Finals here in Marstrand.
Currently leading the field, both on 10 points, are Ian Williams' GAC Pindar and Francesco Bruni's Luna Rossa teams. Already holding a three point margin over Team Alpari FX in third place, the British and Italian teams are definitely through. Equally the bottom four, including the 'match racing legends' American Ed Baird and local hero Magnus Holmberg, plus other Swedes Victor Ogeman and Johnie Berntsson, look set to be eliminated when Qualifying at this, the second event in the 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour, concludes tomorrow.
Racing on the fjord south of Marstrand island was held today in a light westerly breeze and yet more blistering sunshine, bringing spectators and corporate guests out in droves. Star performer today was Bruni whose victims today included other Tour card holders Phil Robertson, Taylor Canfield and Mathieu Richard.
The final four flights are due to get underway at 09.30 Thursday. The weather is set to add a fresh complex to the event with stronger winds forecast.
Stage 2 Stena Match Cup Sweden, Alpari World Match Racing Tour
Results after Flight 20
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 10-1
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa 10-1
Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX 7-3
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Team Trifork 6.5-3
Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing 6-4
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone 6-5
Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets 5-5
David Gilmour (ASU) Team Gilmour 5-5
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team 5-5
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing 4-7
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Team Magnus Holmberg 3-8
Ed Baird (USA) Quantum Racing 3-9
Viktor Ogeman (SWE) Team Accure 2-9
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 1.5-9
www.wmrt.com
www.stenamatchcupsweden.com
Luna Rossa On A Roll
Marstrand, Sweden: With 20 of the 24 flights of Qualifying now complete after day three of Stena Match Cup Sweden, the vital question is over who will make it through to the top eight and continue into Friday's Quarter Finals here in Marstrand.
Currently leading the field, both on 10 points, are Ian Williams' GAC Pindar and Francesco Bruni's Luna Rossa teams. Already holding a three point margin over Team Alpari FX in third place, the British and Italian teams are definitely through. Equally the bottom four, including the 'match racing legends' American Ed Baird and local hero Magnus Holmberg, plus other Swedes Victor Ogeman and Johnie Berntsson, look set to be eliminated when Qualifying at this, the second event in the 2014 Alpari World Match Racing Tour, concludes tomorrow.
Racing on the fjord south of Marstrand island was held today in a light westerly breeze and yet more blistering sunshine, bringing spectators and corporate guests out in droves. Star performer today was Bruni whose victims today included other Tour card holders Phil Robertson, Taylor Canfield and Mathieu Richard.
The final four flights are due to get underway at 09.30 Thursday. The weather is set to add a fresh complex to the event with stronger winds forecast.
Stage 2 Stena Match Cup Sweden, Alpari World Match Racing Tour
Results after Flight 20
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 10-1
Francesco Bruni (ITA) Luna Rossa 10-1
Keith Swinton (AUS) Team Alpari FX 7-3
Joachim Aschenbrenner (DEN) Team Trifork 6.5-3
Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing 6-4
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone 6-5
Mathieu Richard (FRA) LunaJets 5-5
David Gilmour (ASU) Team Gilmour 5-5
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Sailing Team 5-5
Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing 4-7
Magnus Holmberg (SWE) Team Magnus Holmberg 3-8
Ed Baird (USA) Quantum Racing 3-9
Viktor Ogeman (SWE) Team Accure 2-9
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 1.5-9
www.wmrt.com
www.stenamatchcupsweden.com
F18 Worlds Comes To Bangor
Ballyholme Yacht Club is the host for this summer's F18 catamaran World Championship which will be sailed on Belfast Lough. The event will run from Firday 4th to 11th July with the top teams arriving a week early.
There is a practice race in the afternoon on Sunday 6th July with racing every day from Monday to Friday. Spectators should be able to watch the racing from Seacliff Road, Bangor and the "Sunken Gardens" beside Ballyholme Yacht Club.
The F18 World Championship will attract 70 of the top multihull sailors and crew and this contingent, together with their managers, trainers, friends and family will bring over 500 visitors to North Down. The event is supported by North Down Tourism and NITB.
One of the latest names to sign up is Australian Glenn Ashby. He is a multihull specialist, with 14 World Championships across three classes to his name. He has previously won the F18 World Championships 3 times as crew for fellow Australian Darren Bundock but this year, the 37 year old sailmaker from Bendigo Yacht Club in Victoria will be helming with child- hood friend and F18 boat designer Brett Goodall as crew.
Ballyholme Yacht Club is highly experienced in running events of this magnitude and has among its members three World Champions and 11 Olympic sailors. BYC Is delighted to have club member Bill O'Hara as Principal Race Officer. Bill is an Independent Sports Professional and an Olympian, and Principal Race Officer for the Volvo Ocean Race. The Jury Chairman will be Ewan McEwan (GBR) who is Chief Umpire of the Extreme 40 series.
The club is located on the eastern side of Bangor on Ballyholme Bay in Belfast Lough where racing will take place. The Lough is one of the best sailing waters in the UK with few hazards and little tide.
Sales Negotiator
A leading UK builder of quality cruising yachts has an opportunity for a sales negotiator at their East Coast facility.
The successful candidate should be a knowledgeable, experienced yachtsman with a proven track record in sales, ideally within the marine industry. Additional language skills would be an advantage.
Applications in confidence by email to
The First "Invitational" Of The Moth Class @ The Foiling Week
At the Foiling Week, in addition to the Open National Championships, the first Moth Invitational of the history will take place. Some of the best mothies in the world will fight in an innovative short course ,very fast and tactical: the TFW Moth Invitational.
The format of the TFW Moth Invitational is a short upwind stick with downwind gate and arrival abeam of upwind mark. 4 races in a row over a "final" of the top three in the standings.
The athletes invited to participate in the contest are: Ben Paton (GBR), Rob Gough (AUS), Josh Mcknight (AUS), Stefano Rizzi (ITA), Andrew McDougall (AUS), Chris Rast (SUI), Anthony Kotoun (ISV), Tom Offer (GBR), Carlo De Paoli (ITA), Sebastien Col (FRA).
There are 8 of the 20 best mothies in the world and two wild card: Carlo De Paoli is going through a very good level of the 2014 season on the European circuit and the Italian one and Sebastien Col, ISAF Match racing word champion 2009 and 2010 plus current GC32 helmsman.
Andrew McDougall, 5.th in the world rankings until 2013, is also one of the best Moth designer of the last 7 years, his boats are supplied to all the America's Cup team for crew training.
Andrew is also one of the speakers at the TFW Forum in the morning of July 10, where he will open the conference with a Key Note and will close it by participating in a round table.
From today you can sign up to attend the forum for even a single day of the three planned, at the link is www.foilingweek.com/entry-forms/ the registration form
TFW Moth Invitational race course: www.foilingweek.com/moth-invitational/
TFW Forum Agenda: www.foilingweek.com/agenda-forum/
Forms to join the TFW Forum and races: www.foilingweek.com/entry-forms/
Portsmouth Regatta - Day 2 IRC Solent Region Championship
This year, the Portsmouth clubs combined to host a new Portsmouth Regatta, with Saturday forming their contribution to the Solent Region Championship. We left the Hamble a little concerned that the forecast was for heavy rain showers. But conditions were great for sailing, sunshine and enough wind that we had to debate which sails to fly.
We had a good beat up to the windward mark in the building SW wind, but the spreader course was too shy to fly the kite. We hoisted for the next leg and then had a nightmare retrieving it when a crew member (no names) let the guy go before anyone else was ready! Hey ho we eventually got reorganised and finished without any more incidents.
After a short break the second race was announced with a similar course except for a longer leeward leg which helped our less experienced crew. The wind had increased so we decided to change to a smaller headsail, but still the rain held off. It was a good call and we had great boat speed. Despite our new crew members on Xarifa, we were now feeling more confident and enjoyed our race.
In the top group of yachts Zero II was way ahead of the fleet and a pleasure to watch.
Race 3 of the Solent Region Championship will be on 12th July with the Royal Southern. -- Graham Nixon, Solent IRC Owners Association
Class 1
1st Zero II - James Gair
2nd No Retreat - David Riley
3rd Journeymaker - Chris Makin and Louise Jones
Class 2
1st Xcitable - Peter Hodgkinson
2nd Axtec - Julian Tickner
Class 3
1st Tinker T - Kit Buck
2nd Xarifa - Di Galpin
3rd Premier Cru of Coquet - Trevor Simms
Class 4
1st Crakajax - Richard Hollis
2nd Crazy Horse - Derek Budden
Adventurers Halve Record For Sailing Around Britain In A Dinghy
Two hardy adventurers from Gloucestershire are celebrating after they managed to halve the record for sailing around Britain in a small open dinghy.
Jeremy Warren and Phil Kirk set sail from Weymouth in their Wayfarer dinghy aiming to complete the journey in 60 days, which would have comfortably beaten the previous record of 76 days. But the pair arrived back on their boat Hafren in the Dorset resort on Wednesday, sun-blasted and weather-beaten, having taken a mere 33.
There is no cabin to shelter in and Warren and Kirk, members of the Thornbury sailing club on the River Severn, took it in turns to snatch a few hours of sleep when the going was good.
Warren said the trick to getting some rest was finding where to put your "lumpy" elbows and hips and having confidence in your colleague.
They did touch down on solid ground now and again, camping and sometimes treating themselves to a night in a harbourside hotel.
But most of the time, for hour upon hour in rain and shine, both men worked to negotiate the rocky headlands, the swirling tides and the subtle sandbanks of the British coast. The record is an unofficial one - there are considered too many variables for it to be included in the Guinness World Records - but it is recognised by yachting types and the pair's efforts have been celebrated in the sailing press.
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* From John McWilliam: I did the sails for Lars Bergstrom's B&R rigs on Golden Apple, Silver Apple and many more.
Lars' aim was to improve the aerodynamic efficiency of the mainsail by having a very small diameter mast at its leading edge.
Lars also had a deep VEE moulded into the back of the mast and positioned the boltrope deep into the back of the mast - which meant the leeward (lifting) surface of the mainsail was as nearly as possible in line with the leeward side of the mast. That helped smooth the airflow. He also added turbulator tape to the sides of the mast to re-attach the airflow to the sail, same as I used nowadays on my glider's wings.
Lars was way ahead of his time but the tiny mast needed support from fixed diagonal bracing to stay up - thus it could not be bent to flatten the main in a breeze, nor could it be moved fore and aft to trim the boat.
The mainsails I build from genoa fabric to get better bias strength, and less weft strength. That kept them nice and flat in a blow, quite different from the (often rubbish) mainsail cloths of the day - to wit mains with leeches so shut they were marketed as Frisbee Mains by N**th to make it look like it was a good idea!! BS beats brains - and I see it still does... so I go gliding!
Featured Brokerage
The spectacular OYSTER 885/01 'LUSH' will be in Palma from the 7th - 21st July and available for viewings.
Built in 2012 she features a large ergonomically designed split cockpit ideal for relaxation and alfresco dining. There are also spacious deck spaces and a swimming platform meaning she would be a good charter proposition. A high level deck saloon has triple seascape windows flooding the area with light, a settee and an expandable dining table. Accommodation is for eight guests in four staterooms including a full beam master suite, a VIP stateroom and two double cabins. All staterooms come with television screens and en suite facilities.
The hull of the 885 has a fairly fine entry that helps the yacht cleave through a seaway with excellent VMG and at the same time the stern with twin rudders below is relatively broad to deliver a high level of form stability and an off-wind potential that will allow for fantastically fast passage making.
LOA - 27.08m (88'10")
Beam - 6.33m (20'9")
Draft - 3.50m (11'6")
Rig - sloop
Price - £5,750,000
Don't miss the oppourtunity to step aboard. Please contact Fiona McCarthy for appointments -
The Last Word
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