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Buddy Melges Challenge / WIM Series
Stephanie Roble excelled on her home waters of Lake Michigan on Sunday afternoon, as she defeated Anne-Claire Le Berre 3 - 1 in the final of the Buddy Melges Challenge, the penultimate event of the 2015 WIM Series. With this first American victory ever on the WIM Series, the Epic Racing Team of Stephanie Roble, Maggie Shea and Janel Zarkowsky, moves all the way to the top of the leader board.

On the big final day of the Buddy Melges Challenge, Lake Michigan offered stable wind conditions with a light southerly breeze and extremely flat water. Due to the light wind, the course was set a little far from shore, so the spectators went out in boats to follow the racing. Despite the stable wind the conditions were challenging to the crews, putting a premium on good boat handling and boat speed:

The Buddy Melges Challenge has been an ISAF Grade One match racing event in Sheboygan for a number of years. The event is named after the famous Olympian, America's Cup sailor, boat builder, and Wisconsinite Buddy Melges, whose contributions to the sport have been long standing. The trophy for the event resides in the Sheboygan Yacht Club and is a replica of the America's Cup.

The trophy for the WIM Series overall winner - The Terry J. Kohler Perpetual Trophy - is named after Sheboygan businessman Terry Kohler, a long-time proponent and supporter of women's match racing and all of the sailing activities at Sail Sheboygan. The 2015 WIM Series will be decided at the next and final event, the Busan Cup Women's International Match Race, to be sailed in Korea October 28 - November 1.

Final results
1. Stephanie Roble, USA, 25 points
2. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 22
3. Anna Ostling, SWE, 20
4. Renee Groeneveld, NED, 16
5. Juliana Senfft, BRA, 15
6. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 13
7. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 12
8. Pauline Courtois, FRA, 10
9. Diana Kissane, IRL, 8
10. Johanna Bergqvist, SWE, 6
11. Morgan Wilson, USA, 4

Top Five Standings in the 2015 WIM Series, after three stages out of four (skipper, nationality, WIM Series points):

1. Stephanie Roble, USA, 67
2. Camilla Ulrikkeholm Klinkby, DEN, 60
3. Anna Ostling, SWE, 55
4. Anne-Claire Le Berre, FRA, 53
5. Caroline Sylvan, SWE, 41

www.wimseries.com

Nord Stream Race
The first night out on the sea lies behind the Nord Stream Race fleet. SGM had to call into the harbour at Rostock / Warnemunde due to hydraulic problems. It is uncertain if and when the yacht will be able to continue.

All other yachts have sailed approximately 250 miles at this point. However, the fleet is still together very closely - most of them even within the range of vision. Up front are Spirit Of Europe and Bronenosec fighting for the leading position.

In the ORC division Broader View Hamburg is just ahead of Bank Von Bremen by about three miles.

* Good news from SGM:

The hydraulic problems on board of SGM have been fixed so that the yacht will be able to continue on her way to Saint Petersburg this evening. Skipper and crew are all well and are looking forward to the trip and to reaching Saint Petersburg.

The race committee is currently evaluating whether SGM could still be scored as a competitor despite them requiring outside assistance to get the damages repaired. Their progress will be displayed on the tracker but they will remain being shown as retired until further notice.

www.nord-stream-race.com/eng

Ocean Safety Is The Choice Of Performance Maxi Yachts
The popularity of Ocean Safety's lightweight life saving equipment amongst the current generation of mini maxis is evident. The winners in a busy season of UK and European regattas are sporting Ocean Safety Ultralight liferafts and the Jonbuoy man overboard systems, whose compact cases are neatly and discreetly attached to their pushpits.

Ocean Safety equipment can be seen on Comanche which has stormed through her programme with line honours in events including the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup in Sardinia. Maxi 72 Momo has also been spotted in Sardinia carrying a pair of Jonbuoys, while Windfall, the South African Southern Wind 94 Cruiser Racer is doing the same. Pictured is the J Class Lionheart with her Jonbuoys mounted ingeniously above her clean deck layout.

"Ocean Safety's products are globally established amongst the world's top racing yachts," comments Charlie Mill of Ocean Safety. "We continuously develop our products to harmonise with the efficiency of state of the art yachts, while maximising their all-important functionality if they should have to come into use." The Ocean Safety Jonbuoy can be instantly launched into the water, automatically inflating to support a person overboard while they are winched back up to safety.

oceansafety.com

Brits Off To A Flying Start In The Generali Solo
Almost 24 hours into the first offshore leg of the Generali Solo Mediteranee, British skipper Nick Cherry is holding second position - less than a mile behind race leader Xavier Macaire. Sam Matson is also top five, currently fourth in the ranking just 1nm behind Cherry. Alan Roberts is in 17th place with the fleet still tightly bunched over 100nm into race.

After a sterling performance in the inshore racing in Sete, Cherry sits third on the overall leaderboard. Roberts is 9th and Matson 13th.

After a disappointing performance in the 2015 Solitaire du Figaro, when Cherry finished 30th overall, this start to the Generali is just what Cherry needed as he looks to round off his season in style.

Twenty-two competitors set off on an amended course on Sunday 20th September. Avoiding windless areas off the islands of Porquerolles and I'Île du Levant, the race now runs 350nm straight from Sete to the north of Corsica and on to the finish in Nice.

Standings: www.generali-solo.com

2015 Snipe World Championship
Photo by Matias Capizzano. Click on image for photo gallery.

Talamone, Tuscany, Italy: The Snipe World Championship organized by the Sailing Club Talamone could have not started in a better way. Blue skies, crystal blue water, the Islands of Giglio, Elba and Montecristo etched against the horizon served as a backdrop to Day 1 of racing.

The Mistral wind at 13-15 knots for race 1 increased to 17-19 knots for the second race. Ideal conditions for the 83 crews from 18 nations who arrived in Maremma Tuscany to compete for one of the most coveted world championships of international sailing. Borras Camps-Bats Anos (ESP) lead the provisional standings of the Snipe World Cup #snipeworlds2015 with a third and a first.

The Spaniards were the true stars of the day. Race 1 was won by Andalusian Raul de Valenzuela and Antolin Alejandre de Ona, who won of the Junior World Champion title three days ago. Es Castells (Balearic) formed by Damian Borras Camps and Carlos Bats Anos won Race 2.

The World Snipe continues tomorrow with the possibility of completing up to three races. The warning signal for Race 3 is scheduled for Tuesday 22 September at 11 a.m. On the starting line: Argentina (7 teams), Belgium (6), Brazil (9), Columbia (1), Croatia (1), Denmark (1) Ecuador (2), Finland (1), France (2), Great Britain (1), Japan (7), Norway (2), Poland (3), Spain (12), Sweden (2), United States (9) and Uruguay (1). Italy is represented by 16 crews in the Snipe World Championship.

snipeworlds2015.com

Seahorse Sailor Of The Month
Last month's winner:

Ergin Imre (TUR)
'A great leader and supporter of Turkish sailing' - Baris Merzeci; 'Mr Provezza also supports many young Turkish sailors' - Levent Sensezgin; 'He contributes a lot' - Fazil Bener; 'A great family man, he loves sailing at all levels' - Gulden Aktugan; 'Great sailor and inspiring background' - Atilla Tumay; 'Well done Mr Imre!' - Omur Yarsuvat; 'Very committed to Turkish sailing' - Aysegul Torun; 'Ergin is truly dedicated to his team' - Levent Bas; 'Ergin's family help budding professionals from all over the globe' - Ian Finlay.

This month's nominees:

Glenn Ashby (AUS/NZL) Or Captain Many Titles as they should surely start calling Ashby, in a month when he secured his ninth A-Class world championship win and skippered Emirates Team New Zealand to its first success in the Louis Vuitton AC World Series. The whole of Team NZ will have been deservedly buoyed up by success in Sweden; and an Aussie skipper of a Kiwi sports' team... that Glenn Ashby really must be good

Gery Trentesaux (FRA) A sterling reminder of just how good the French have always been at offshore racing and of what strong supporters they have always been of RORC's offshore programme in particular; examples of French crews crossing the Channel for race starts and sailing home after the finish are legion. Trentesaux has dominated the RORC programme this year and a well-earned Fastnet race win was appropriate icing for the cake

Seahorse Sailor of the Month is sponsored by Musto, Harken McLube & Dubarry. Who needs silverware, our prizes are usable!

Cast your vote, submit comments, even suggest a candidate for next month at seahorsemagazine.com/sailor-of-the-month/vote-for-sailor-of-the-month

To subscribe to Seahorse Digital £30 for one year with discount promo code SB2 click www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/digital

Thousand Islands Race: Rijeka - Porto Montenegro - Rijeka
A new record was set for Leg 1 of the Thousand Islands Race by Hungarian Wilde Joe today by crossing the finish line in front of Porto Montenegro marina jetty 1; 1 hour and 17 minutes quicker then previous fastest time set by the same yacht two years ago at the inaugural Thousand Islands Race.

Favourable weather conditions, similar to those two years ago, enabled Wilde Joe to sail as fast as 18 knots at times and her average speed measures 10.2 knots along course of 279.76 nautical miles. This significant advantage over the rest of the fleet might place Wilde Joe on top of the ladder even under corrected time. The of the fleet are expected at finish line tonight and in the morning.

Updated positions indicating finishing times necessary to take the lead under corrected time are posted on www.thousandislandsrace.com

Industry News
Tuesday is the last day to enter the 2015 Design Award METS

Exhibitors of the METSTRADE show 2015 wishing to submit their most innovative designs to be judged by an independent, international jury for the DAME 2015 should complete the online application by 22 September 2015.

The DAME Design Award is the world's most prestigious design competition for new marine equipment and accessories. To win the DAME is the ultimate accolade for companies and innovators, and all the nominations for the award are seen as trendsetters for the next generation of product development.

plus.ibinews.com

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The 45th annual Newport International Boat Show was blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine during its four-day run weekend run and dealers' and vendors' disposition was equally bright.

"People must be feeling better about the economy," Ben Wilde, owner of Wilde Yacht Sales, a Nordic Tugs dealer in Essex, Conn., told Trade Only Today. "We're selling 44s like crazy and are seeing a clear trend that people are looking for bigger boats."

Wilde said he had more scheduled appointments with potential buyers at this year's show than any in recent memory, which indicates to him that there are more "serious" buyers.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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Taiwan-based Hudson Yachts and Marine Industries Inc. is "vehemently" denying allegations in a lawsuit filed in Rhode Island's U.S. District Court by Gunboat International alleging that HYM produced subpar Gunboat models, refused to perform warranty work on them and then launched a competing "knockoff" brand.

Gunboat, a North Carolina builder of luxury carbon fiber sailing catamarans, had contracted HYM to build its largest models. Court documents filed Aug. 18 showed that Gunboat accused HYM of breach of contract, fraudulent inducement, interference with contractual relations, unjust enrichment, breach of noncompete and misappropriation of trade secrets.

www.tradeonlytoday.com

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As the 2015 Southampton Boat Show drew to a close on Sunday, over 110,000 people had enjoyed a taste of Britain's biggest boating festival. The Show saw 23 boats make their world debut and over 330 of the world's leading sailboats and high-performance powerboats on the water.

Strong sales have been reported throughout the duration of the Show, with many companies reporting an increase on last year's figures including multi-million pound deals. Some serious marine business has been conducted with contracts between the marine divisions of companies such as Rolls-Royce and Sunseeker International being signed.

southamptonboatshow.com

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Ocean Safety, specialists in the worldwide supply, distribution, service and hire of marine safety equipment, has appointed Roger Baker to the role of Superyacht Sales Manager.

Roger, who is fluent in five languages, heads the new sector created by Ocean Safety to advise, plan and select safety inventories for superyachts on a worldwide basis, as well as planning their servicing and replacement schedules.

Previously a member of Ocean Safety's export sales team looking after Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Roger will promote sales to the superyacht sector globally, while having direct sales responsibility for those accounts situated in mainland Europe.

www.oceansafety.com

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Doyle Sails New Zealand has named David Le Pelley as Stratis research & development manager. Doyle's Stratis is the company's fibre-aligned laminated sail range, which has forged a reputation for performance and durability.

Le Pelley's name is familiar to many in the sailing industry. Having led the yacht research unit at the University of Auckland for the past 13 years, he is also the founder of VSpars, the sail shape and performance tracking technology used by sail-makers around the world to test and refine their products.

Following Le Pelley's appointment, VSpars will continue to operate as normal, only will now be centred out of the Doyle Sails NZ loft.

plus.ibinews.com

Featured Brokerage
2013 Botin 65. 3,500,000 USD. Located in United Kingdom.

Our latest central listing is the ultimate racer/cruiser and is considered by her crew to be a 65 foot "super yacht". Built impeccably by Knierim in Germany, she was first launched in June of 2013.

Her owner invisioned a yacht with mini maxi performance, but with an interior that is second to none and all incorporated into a package that can be raced with only 8 to 10 crew. Her race results have proven that the Botin office hit the ball out of the park with this design, as her first distance race she shattered the ARC transatlantic record and then in shorter races such as the 2014 Sydney to Hobart, she was 7th to finish boat for boat, beating all her similar sized race boats boat for boat, which resulted her being third in class behind two canting keel and smaller race boats. We are just assembling her package, to distribute, but we believe this boat represents an outstanding opportunity to step right on the perfect racer/cruiser. Fastnet, Sardinia and Middle sea are all on the schedule, but an offer can be presented at any time.

Details

Contact
Thoroughbred Yacht Sales
William Jenkins at 410-267-9419

See the RaceboatsOnly.com collection at seahorsemagazine.com/brokerage/

The Last Word
The danger is not so much in the economic structure of a society but in its intellectual structure. -- Philip Kaufman

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