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Enfant Terrible, Movistar amd Low Noise II are 2015 Orc World Champions!
Barcelona, Spain: After a long week of light air, lengthy postponements, hot sun and even hotter competition, three ORC World Champions have endured and excelled to been crowned today in Barcelona. Two are the reigning champions from the 2014 championship in Kiel last year, and one is a veteran winner from ORC championships in past decades of sailing.
Alberto Rossi's TP 52 Enfant Terrible Minoan Lines from Italy was under pressure on the final day, with a slim two-point lead over rival Marco Serafini's team on his TP 52 Xio. Rossi's red boat is rated just a little slower than Xio and the other TP's in the class, so their only edge was to stay close and not lose by too much boat-for-boat and let the time allowances help them to stay within two points of Xio in the corrected time results.
With three ORC and one Farr 40 World title to his credit, Rossi and team did just that today to earn their fourth ORC World title, finishing second to Xio on the water but correcting to within 7 seconds of the win, with Roberto Monti's TP 52 Airis behind on the water and in corrected time.
In Class B Pedro Campos's Swan 42 Movistar was not under quite the same pressure as Rossi, with a five-point margin over rival Swan 42 Pez de Abril, also from Spain, but they still had to sail clean and well in the most crowded class of 38 boats at this event, or risk losing that lead. Today they too did what was needed, finishing third to some of their closest rivals, but still maintaining enough to be four points clear to win his second ORC Worlds crown in 12 years and his 15th World Championship title among this and other classes.
Like Class A, the Class C champion was an Italian reigning champion from Kiel last year, but unlike them they were here in Barcelona with a new boat, an Italia 9.98 F.
Giuseppe Giuffre's Low Noise II had a promising start by winning the first race of the series, but then stumbled in the inshore Race 3 with a shared 15th place. But from that point on the team remained in the top five throughout the remainder of the series, and scored their second bullet today to cap off an impressive week in an especially contentious class.
Full results: www.barcelonaorcworlds2015.com
Gales And Flat Calms In The Atlantic
Gales and prolonged strong winds since the start have taken their toll as the bulk of the fleet reaches the halfway stage of the Transatlantic Race 2015.
On board the Class 40 Amhas, doublehanded crew Mackenzie Davis and Brian Harris have been forced to retire with mast issues and are currently nursing their Akilaria RC3 towards the Azores.
For those following the YB tracker, there were some nervous moments last night as Daniel and Gretchen Biemesderfer's Mason 43, Shearwater, appeared to be slowly heading in the direction of the Caribbean. Unable to raise the crew, the Race Committee scrambled Sir Geoffrey Mulcahy's Swan 56 Noonmark VI to assist. As they closed Noonmark's crew was able to raise the Shearwater crew, who subsequently sent this update: "We sustained some damage: broken boom vang, traveller and importantly mainsail. We're hove to until the weather abates. At that point we'll decide if we can continue racing. However, the boat is fine and the crew are all well and in good spirits. We're all getting some much needed rest."
A few hours later, Shearwater checked in via Sat Phone with the Race Office and confirmed that they were dropping out of the race and sailing to the Azores to effect repairs.
With boats spread out across some 1500 miles of race track, the weather they are currently experiencing is hugely contrasting. Early this morning, boats off the eastern end of Point Alpha, the ice exclusion zone, were seeing 40 to 50 knots, while at the front of the fleet, Mariette of 1915 had been becalmed and those still closest to America, the fastest boats in the fleet, were uncharacteristically clocking some of the slowest speeds, trapped in high pressure extending from Newfoundland south to Bermuda.
Furthest south among the lead group, the Open 60 Grey Power this morning had 11 to 15 knots from the southwest after a big Monday.
transatlanticrace.com
Tracker: yb.tl/transatlantic2015
Protect Your Night Sight Offshore With Exposure's X2 Light
Exposure's X2 personal searchlight may look like an ordinary torch but it's not! Small enough to live in your pocket, when you pick it up it is so light it's hard to believe it has a battery in it that will last 13 hours before recharging. In a daylight shop environment it's hard to get a sense of its impressive red beam searchlight. So checkout this amazing footage from Abu Dhabi's Ocean Racing! See the power of the Exposure X2 and how you'll never damage your night vision again - or your skippers!
With three modes for red and white light, the red high beam will easily spot the tell-tales at the top of a Volvo 65 mainsail. The high beam white creates a 573 lumens searchlight with a 162m beam distance. IPX8 rated to 3m depth, the X2 has Strobe and SOS option for emergencies.
Justin Slattery trimmer on board Azzam says, "The Exposure X2 is a brilliant search light and its red beam spotlight options mean the ADOR team can keep trimming all night as if it was still daylight – and with no concerns about damaging our night vision. More X2 information and contact Ocean Safety for dealers.
Laser World Championship
The day began with strong winds of 15 knots from the south. As the day progressed the wind lowered to 8 knots, and kept competitors on their toes with tricky conditions and shifting winds.
Previous regatta leader Philipp Buhl, Germany, had a tough day, finishing 15, 16 and 27, dropping to 3rd overall, with Great Britain's Nick Thompson moving up to 1st. Thompson stayed at the front of the pack, playing the breeze and finishing 7, 2, 4. Thompson has a 20 point lead going into the final day of racing. Australia's Tom Burton moved up to 2nd today with a 15, 27, 2.
Yesterday Stephano Peschiera from Peru, qualified his nation for a spot in the 2016 Olympic Games. This is the first time Peru has earned a sailing berth in the Olympics through the qualification process. Seven other nations earned their Olympic Birth by sailors qualifying for Gold fleet, with one berth still undecided. It will go to the top sailor in silver flight representing an unqualified nation. Joaquin Blanco, Spain and Alexandr Denisiuc, Moldova are the top two competitors in Silver flight who's nation have yet to qualify.
Tomorrow is the last day of Laser Standard World Championship Racing on Kingston Waters. Racing begins at 0900, with three races scheduled.
Top ten 1. Nick Thompson, GBR, 27 points
2. Tom Burton, AUS, 47
3. Philipp Buhl, GER, 52
4. Tonci Stipanovic, CRO, 53
5. Pavlos Kontides, CYP, 55
6. Christopher Barnard, USA, 64
7. Bruno Fontes, BRA, 68
8. Matthew Wearn, AUS, 73
9. Charlie Buckingham, USA, 73
10. Sam Meech, NZL, 74
J/70 World Championship
La Rochelle, France: La Rochelle hosts this week the J/70 World Championship. Eighty boats coming from all over the world met for this first World championship of the series in Europe. After the phases of registrations and the practice race today, the sailors will compete for their first race Wednesday.
It is only the second world championship of the J/70 class, the first one having taken place in 2013 in Newport, but the competitors are here: 80 boats, 4 represented continents, 16 nations.
Among the favorites, we can count on the American Tim Healy, who gained the title in 2013, but who will have to compete against the Italian Carlo Alberini, winner of the Eurocup 2014 or against the Spanish Hugo Rochas, who won at Kieler Woche.
France is also well represented.
Wednesday 8th July, 13h00 - First race
Last day of racing is Saturday 11th July.
Port Tack Flyers Launch Portuguese Into The Lead In Porto
Jorge Lima and Jose Costa have claimed an early lead in the 49er European Championships on home waters in Porto, the second city of Portugal. With the 79-boat fleet split into three qualifying divisions for the first three days of competition, the inshore course favoured the right-hand side strongly throughout the day, especially so in light airs that never exceeded 8 knots.
While most of their competitors were battling for a start line advantage at the right-hand end near the committee boat, Lima and Costa decided to take their chances with a port-end start. It paid off handsomely, with the Cascais team taking an early lead in both of the last two races of the day, and leading both heats from start to finish. Banking scores of 2,6,1,1, the Portuguese hold a 1-point advantage over Poland's Lukasz Przybytek and Pawel Kolodzinski, who also sailed a brilliant day in their qualifying fleet with scores of 1,2,4,2.
Wednesday sees the FX fleet complete qualifying to determine who goes into Gold and Silver fleet finals. For the 49ers, it's day two of qualifying. The forecast calls for slightly more breeze.
49er.org/event/2015-european-championship/
Are You An Experienced Performance Sportswear Designer?
This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the world's leading marine brands and become part of our product development team based at their head office near Nottingham.
You'll be responsible for developing collections from initial design concepts through to a retail ready product. This means you'll be involved in every aspect of garment creation including market research, design refinement, product testing, creation of garment tech packs, product presentations and management of sample schedules.
This opportunity requires the following attributes:
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- An interest in technical fabrics and an understanding of garment construction.
- Ability to create clear and detailed garment tech packs and work closely with our overseas suppliers.
- Advanced knowledge of Illustrator, Photoshop and Microsoft Office.
- An awareness of colour trends and a good understanding of fit, sizing and trim development.
- You will be required to visit factories and international trade shows to help source new fabrics, trims and suppliers.
- Management of the sampling process from prototypes, sales samples, size sets through to final samples.
- An understanding of garment patterns and graded size charts.
You must have previous experience in performance sportswear design and have an interest in outdoor sporting activities - both on and off the water.
To apply for this position please send your CV stating your current salary and portfolio with covering letter to
We look forward to hearing from you.
Closing date 1st September 2015
J/80 World Championship Starts With Strong Winds
After the first day's competitions and the 3 planned regattas on Monday, the day's champions of the J/80 have been established. The Spanish crew of the "Bribon MOVISTAR" is in the lead.
As the practice race on Sunday afternoon had to be terminated shortly after start, due to lack of wind and a following storm warning, the prevailing conditions for sailing today on the Kiel Fjord were fantastic.
With an average westerly wind of 22 knots (5-6 Beaufort) and gusts of up to 26 knots the competitors were certainly very much challenged.
A total of 50 yachts of 8 nationalities are participating through Friday on the course off Bulk
The competition judges were not daunted by the occasional high waves on the water, as they were equipped by Helly Hansen with functional and waterproof clothing protecting them without problems against wind forces 5 - 6 and breaking waves.
Results: www.j80worlds2015.com/index.php/results/
ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship
Warm and sunny conditions with a strong southerly breeze today welcomed the 81 sailors participating in the 2015 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship, the first event out of four on the 2015 Women's International Match Racing Series (WIM Series), to Middelfart, Denmark. The rain waited politely until the last practise session in Match Racing Denmark's fleet of Match 28 boats was over:
"It takes a while to learn a new boat, but we've also had some practise on our home waters and feel quite confident going into this event," says World # 1 and defending World Champion Anna Ostling.
During Tuesday's practise session in Middelfart the Swedish crew of Team Anna had a few great fights against last year's World Championship bronze medallist and WIM Series # 4, American Stephanie Roble of Epic Racing:
"It's a shifty and tricky venue and we were happy to be controlling the Swedes a lot of the time. I like the boats a lot, they spin quickly and it's good to be five on board," Roble comments.
By Sunday we'll not only know which of the top ranked sailors has captured the World Championship title, but also who gained points on this first event out of four on the 2015 WIM Series. The first two years of the WIM Series saw 39 professional teams from 19 countries competing for gold and glory.
2015 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship teams (skipper, country, ISAF World Ranking):
Anna Ostling, SWE, 1
Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN, 2
Stephanie Roble, USA, 3
Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 4
Lotte Meldgaard, DEN, 5
Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 6
Klaartje Zuiderbaan, NED, 7
Pauline Courtois, FRA, 8
Milly Bennett, AUS, 9
Johanna Larsson, SWE, 13
Nina Ramm-Schmidt, FIN, 14
Katie Spithill, AUS, 16
Sanna Hager, SWE, 17
Rikst Dijkstra, NED, 18
Diana Kissane, IRL, 60
Louise Christensen, DEN, 6
Tour Voile: A Day Of Stadium Racing In Green And White
After five short races on Fecamp's race course, Groupama finishes leader of the day and leader overall. Spindrift takes 2nd in Stadium Racing and Grandeur Nature Verandas 3rd.
After sailing in light wind yesterday along the cliffs of Normandy, the 28 teams competed in Stadium Racing format in solid breeze. The south-westerly wind 10-15 knots this morning turned westerly throughout the day building up to 20 knots with gusts reaching 25. The racing was fast and furious, with short, sharp speed races that left all the teams exhausted.
Groupama's experienced crew led by Pierre Pennec, multihull specialist whose sailing background includes a 2nd place at the helm of Gitana in the 2011 Extreme Sailing Series, won two of the five races today which takes him to lead the day of Stadium Racing in Fecamp
The strong wind conditions on the race course led to a few crashes. No major damage, but a few discussions in the jury room. At the bottom mark in race 3, the rounding was tight and CombiWest crashed into West Courtage. "We were in the right", said skipper Frederic Guilmin "as Vinci did not leave enough space for us to avoid West Courtage. So we got redressed, and we are still in the game overall. We are lucky to have a good shore crew to fix the damage tonight".
The Tour new heads to Pornichet for Act 3. The teams have a day off to pack the boats and drive 500km down south.
Overall top three rankings:
1. Groupama, 146 points
2. Grandeur Nature Verandas, 145
3. Spindrift, 135
Top three Corinthian rankings:
1. Vannes Agglo - Golfe du Morbihan, 133
2. Normandy Elite Team, 100
3. Techneau, 94
William "Bill" Mosher
Longtime sailing industry professional, William Mosher, unexpectedly passed away July 3rd. A passionate boater, Bill became a beloved figure within the marine industry during his lifetime. He held several high-profile positions within the industry and became a true icon through his dedication and generosity to the people and sport he loved.
From 1987 to 1995, Bill became well known throughout the marine industry as National Sales Director for Harken. During his time with them, he serviced the sales needs of their distribution network as well and helped introduce numerous product innovations to the market. In 1995, Bill became the Midwest Wholesale/Store Manager for Boat US in Milwaukee. Bill joined Forespar as Sales & Marketing Director in 2000 to oversee their nationwide sales force of independent reps and to coordinate all advertising, media, promotions and shows. He also served as a Board of Director member for Sail America from 2008 to 2010.
During his time in the marine industry, Bill became well known for his extensive network of friends and contacts.
In honor of Bill, donations may be made to the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center, an approved not-for-profit 501 (c) 3 agency. Donations can be sent to Forespar at Bill Mosher Memorial, c/o Forespar, 22322 Gilberto, Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688 or made online at www.sailingcenter.org
Featured Brokerage
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The Last Word
It takes only one drink to get me drunk. The trouble is, I can't remember whether it's the thirteenth or the fourteenth. -- George Burns
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