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Record Three-Time Win For Canfield
Long Beach, California, USA: Taylor Canfield and his US One Sailing Team triumphed in the Congressional Cup, Stage Two of the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), after five days of "unbelievable match racing" - making him the first skipper to win three Crimson Blazers back-to-back, in the 52-year history of the legendary regatta.

The five-day World Championship event had been beleaguered with unseasonable weather: light and shifty breezes, rain, and calms. That PRO Randy Smith and WMRT Racing Director Craig Mitchell were able to pull off the series, was a near miracle. The repechage was terminated; series were shortened to first-to-two.

The legs were short, to ensure completion of the series; providing few passing lanes, but plenty of excitement. The Congressional Cup had entered a new era of competition, with exhausting, aggressive pre-starts crammed with headsail changes, luffing and tacking duels galore.

Gilmour defeated Dickson, to take third place in the event.

The World Match Racing Tour now moves on to Copenhagen, Denmark 9-14 May where the battle will restart for the 2016 World title.

Quarter Finals Results
Match 1 Sam Gilmour (AUS) 3 v 2 Phil Robertson (NZL)
Match 2 Scott Dickson (USA) 3 v 2 Chris Steele (NZL)
Match 3 Eric Monnin (SUI) 0 v 3 Taylor Canfield (ISV)
Match 4 Bjorn Hansen (SWE) 0 v 3 Nicolai Sehested (DEN)

Semi Final Results
Match 1 Nicolai Sehested (DEN) 3 v 2 Sam Gilmour (AUS)
Match 2 Taylor Canfield (ISV) 3 v 0 Scott Dickson (USA)

Overall Results
1. Taylor Canfield (ISV) US One
2. Nicolai Sehested (DEN) Trefor Match Racing
3. Sam Gilmour (AUS) Neptune Racing
4. Scott Dickson (USA) Dickson Racing
5. Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing
6. Chris Steele (NZL) 36 Below Racing
7. Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Nautiska Racing
8. Eric Monnin (SUI) Albert Riele Swiss Team
9. Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Flux Team
10. Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing
11. Sally Barkow (USA) Team Magenta 32
12. Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar

wmrt.com
congressionalcup.com

Star Worlds Day One
79 teams from 13 nations, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine and United States, faced tough conditions and high competition on the first day of the Star Worlds 2016.

The race course offered spectacular conditions on Biscayne Bay with winds of 15 knots and gusts of 18 knots at the top of the course from 80° and very choppy. The Race Committee set the Course "0" with 2.2 miles long legsand fired the first signal on time at 11.30 hrs with 3 attempts.

The third start was done under Black Flag. Finally, the third trial to start this first race was valid but unfortunately, some Star Sailors flew off the pin getting over. They were: Paul Cayard / Brian Fatih, James Babel / Scott Benson, Torben Schmidt Grael / Guilherme de Almeida, Allan Cullen / Dave Martin andRobert Stanjek / Frithjof Kleen.

The disqualified sailors abandoned the race and the fleet saw several position changes as Paul Cayard was coming first as many of others BFD Sailors that were at the top.

By the third upwind the definition of this first race finally came: George Szabo / Steve Mitchell led the fleet and the second place was held by Luke Lawrence / Ian Coleman who had a tight finish against Augie Diaz / Bruno Prada who finished in the third place.

Tomorrow the regatta schedule continues with the second race of the Star World Championship 2016.

www.starworlds2016.com

New Marstron+ 7 Mm - Also Available In New Colours!
Marlow Ropes are extremely proud of the relationships that we have with our sporting partners. These partnerships allow us to improve and adapt our products according to their needs. Thanks to this feedback, our Marstron+ product range has now been refreshed and extended.

Marstron+ is still available in: 6mm and 8mm, but is now also available in 7mm, to bridge the gap between lightweight and easy handling. We have also introduced Mastron+ in a newly refreshed colour range!

Available in: RED, YELLOW, GREEN, GREY & PURPLE

Full information can be found on page 39 of the definitive rope guide: issue 3.

marlowropes.com

British Pairing Hammer Their Way Downwind In Transat AG2R
British sailors Sam Matson and Robin Elsey, are making excellent progress in the Transat AG2R La Mondiale double-handed transatlantic race from Concarneau in Brittany to St Barts in the Caribbean.

After five hectic days at sea that have been dominated by fast downwind conditions, the British sailors on board the Figaro Beneteau II, Artemis, are sailing in fifth place in a fleet of 15 mainly French-crewed yachts.

The race leaders are the French pairing of Adrien Hardy and Vincent Biarnes on board AGIR Recouvrement who are about 34 miles ahead of the British pairing as the fleet passes the island of Madeira on its way to the only turning mark of the 3,890-mile course northwest of La Palma.

Elsey who, like Matson, is originally from the West Country and an alumni of the Cowes-based Artemis Offshore Academy, said conditions at night have been particularly difficult as the boat powered ahead in gusty winds and big seas with zero visibility.

As they approach the Canaries and the transition to the trade winds that will begin to propel them west towards the Caribbean, they will be trying to ensure that they do not split further from the rest of the fleet.

Top ten rankings:
1. Kitchens Ixina Tanguy Le Turquais Herve Aubry
2. Recovery Act Adrien Hardy Vincent Biarnes, 12.78 Nm To Leader
3. Gedimat Thierry Chabagny Erwan Tabarly, 15.06
4. Britain - Cmb Performance Sebastien Simon Xavier Macaire, 21.09
5. Artemis Sam Matson Robin Elsey, 21.85
6. Generali Nicolas Lunven Gildas Mahe, 25.50
7. Fulgur - Evapco Milan Kolacek Pierre Brasseur, 29.49
8. Bellocq Landscapes - Flavors Of Cornwall Martin Pope Eric Peron, 34.43
9. Green Circle Vert Gildas Morvan Alexis Loison, 39.44
10. The Holy Arthur Prat Nicolas Thomas, 55.29

transat.ag2rlamondiale.fr

Three Races Shuffle Up 470 European Championship Leader Board
Three races for all fleets at the 2016 470 European Championships on race day 4, sees Lara Vadlau/Jola Ogar (AUT) extend in the 470 Women and Mat Belcher/Will Ryan (AUS) edge into the lead in the 470 Men.

With only two days to go before the Medal Race, today's assault on the leader board top ten intensified. The physicality of each race is relentless, as winning is all about maximizing strengths and minimizing weakness in gruelling race track battles. A blue sky, 10-14 knots of breeze and rolling waves gave teams a perfect race day.

Racing on Monday 11 April will decide the top ten 470 Men and Women teams advancing to the double points Medal Race. Two races scheduled for the men gold fleet on Monday starting at 1130 hours, followed by three races for the women gold. A similar race programme for the m

470 Men - Top Ten Provisional Results after 9 Races

1. Mathew Belcher/Will Ryan, AUS, 36 points
2. Sime Fantela/Igor Marenic, CRO, 39
3. Simon Sivitz Kosuta/Jas Farneti, ITA, 43
4. Stu Mcnay/Dave Hughes, USA, 47
5. Sofian Bouvet/Jeremie Mion, FRA, 47
6. Anton Dahlberg/Fredrik Bergström, SWE, 54
7. Lucas Calabrese/Juan De La Fuente, ARG, 54
8. Jordi Xammar/Joan Herp, ESP, 55
9. David Bargehr/Lukas Mähr, AUT, 56
10. Carl-Fredrik Fock/Marcus Dackhammar, SWE, 68

470 Women - Top Ten Provisional Results after 8 Races

1. Lara Vadlau/Jolanta Ogar, AUT, 11
2. Afrodite Kyranakou/Anneloes Van Veen, NED, 35
3. Ai Kondo Yoshida/Miho Yoshioka, JPN, 37
4. Fernanda Oliveira/Ana Barbachan, BRA, 40
5. Camille Lecointre/Helene Defrance, FRA, 44
6. Annie Haeger/Briana Provancha, USA, 44
7. Xiaoli Wang/Lizhu Huang, CHN, 51
8. Carrie Smith/Jaime Ryan, AUS, 52
9. Agnieszka Skrzypulec/Irmina Mrozek Gliszczynska, POL, 54
10. Tina Mrak/Veronika Macarol, SLO, 57

2016europeans.470.org

Melges 32 European Sailing Series Crowns First Winner
Porto Venere, Italy - Two final races on Sunday at the 2016 Melges 32 European Sailing Series proudly crowned Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio on G-SPOT winner in Porto Venere. Serena di Lapigio held a fast and steady course winning the event by one point.

Achille Onorato helming Mascalzone Latino scored a 10-1 on the final day to the finish, placing second overall. Rounding out the podium is Ahmet Eker on Eker. This is the Turkish team's first ever podium finish in the Melges 32 Class since they entered the fleet just only a year ago.

With the first of four 2016 Melges 32 European Sailing Series events complete, all eyes advance to the end of the month when episode two gets underway on 29 April in Porto Ercole, Italy.

Top Five Results (Final - After Eight Races, One Discard)
1. Giangiacomo Serena di Lapigio, G-SPOT, 25 points
2. Vincenzo Onorato, Mascalzone Latino, 26
3. Ahmet Eker, Eker, 28
4. Richard Goransson, Inga From Sweden, 32
5. Matteo Balestrero, La Spezia Sailing Team/Giogi, 32

Full results

www.melges32.com

New Dockyard Road Completed
Hamilton, Bermuda: Completion of a new road in Dockyard will give better access to Morseby Plain, an area where preparations for next year's America's Cup are continuing.

Cup teams will eventually be able to use part of the field for long-term storage.

Ireland Island Sports Club currently use the Plain for games and the 300-yard long road will also offer safer access to a facility which will be used long after the America's Cup finishes.

Work on the site for the America's Cup Event Village continues in the South Basin with sheet piles presently being installed to create the outer wall of the infill which will created approximately 9 acres of new land.

www.royalgazette.com

Seahorse May 2016
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Update
Jack Griffin on AC design constraints, Terry Hutchinson has a wobbly keel, Giles Scott reassures Bob Fisher that he's taking it all in his stride and a home is needed for one of the most famous of them all. Plus Dobbs Davis on Star World Champion Jim Allsopp

Eight years on
The Oman Sail project is doing such a good job of promoting its young sailors that Russell Coutts dropped by recently to add his support

The voice of reason
Joubert-Nivelt is one of the best known names in yacht design. After a long sojourn in cruiser-racers, Bernard Nivelt is back in raceboats

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Francis Joyon Will Be Tackling The Jules Verne Trophy Again
Francis Joyon will be setting off in the autumn to try to improve on the Jules Verne Trophy record time. It will once again be on his IDEC SPORT 'ultime' trimaran with a crew that he will attempt to complete the voyage in under 45 days.

Francis, this time it is official. A year after your first attempt, you will be setting off around the world again in the autumn to tackle the Jules Verne Trophy.
"Yes… we have not yet finished the job, so we're going back. When we finished in Brest on 8th January (after 47 days, 14 hours and 47 minutes), we even thought about setting off again a few days later... but that was more or less said as a joke, as there was after all some work to do on the boat. This time, we are serious: we will move to stand-by in late October this year to make another attempt."

When will the stand-by possibly last until?
"Let's say from the last few days of October to late January 2017. In my opinion, the season finishes at the end of January. It's true that there have been Jules Verne records set later on, but that was when the time to beat was not quite as tricky as it is today, I think. We clearly saw that getting around in less than 45 days and 13 hours wasn't that simple and so those are the ideal stand-by dates."

What improvements can be made to the IDEC SPORT trimaran to make her even more competitive?
"We are still trying to save a little weight, while optimising the sail plan. With the same mast, we will be increasing the surface of the mainsail and the headsails, in particular the big gennaker. The idea is of course to ensure the boat is not as handicapped in lighter conditions or in light airs."

www.idecsport-sailing.com

Letters To The Editor -
Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From David Ray: Further to Don Street's Mt Gay Rum saga: Ken and Fran McKenzie would load as many cases as they could conceal onboard Big Ti and I would trade dockage at Bannister's Wharf for rum to be sold in the Candy Store, which is probably one reason for it's early success.....both the rum and the saloon!

And the race that he mentions was the beginnings of Newport's Classic Yacht Regatta.

* From Jeremy McGeary: Just read Don Street's story about Mount Gay Rum. As he noted, Ken MacKenzie, skipper of Ticonderoga at the time, inaugurated the Mount Gay Cup on a lay day during the 1974 America's Cup in Newport. He challenged all the wooden yachts in the harbor to "race for a case."

I sailed on Good Hope with Dave Howe and Avril soon-to-be-Howe. we crossed the starting line in a pack of other boats sideways with the tide -- because the race committee made the mistake they all seemed to do of starting the race right at the moment the morning land breeze faded before the sea breeze kicked in. You could set your clock by it unless, apparently, you ran an RC.

Anyway, the sea breeze filled in and MacKenzie's case of rum remained safe in Ticonderoga's bilge.

Three years later, same challenge, on a lay day in the 1977 America's Cup. I was lucky enough to sail on Ti that day but Ken MacKenzie's face was not a pretty sight. He had underestimated Bob Tiedemann's 12-Metre Gleam, which swiped his rum on the upwind leg and never gave it back.

Shortly after the Mount Gay Cup 2nd edition, the Museum of Yachting picked up the idea of organizing an annual Classic Yacht Regatta. It's now a Panerai regatta.

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The Last Word
I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older; then it dawned on me - they're cramming for their final exam. -- George Carlin

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