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Doing It By The Book. Quantum Racing Lead
Photo by Max Ranchi, www.maxranchi.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

Mahon, Menorca: Quantum Racing did what they do best today to earn the early lead at the 52 World Championship in Menorca. They kept cool heads, sailed smooth and clean, and worked through the fleet to finish second in the championship after the first race (behind Azzurra), and then won the second race, pipping Rán Racing on the finish line to lead by five points.

Conditions improved across the two races culminating in a fast, enjoyable tussle through the second heat in building seas and 18-22kts of breeze and sunshine. In the brisk conditions it was as important to stay out of trouble - to avoid mechanical breakdowns - as it was to sail fast, smart and consistent.

Quantum Racing came back from a positively lacklustre start to the championship, flatfooted off the start line, and worked hard to get second behind Azzurra. The defending champions Azzurra led from the first run and consolidated on the final run to keep Quantum Racing under wraps to the finish line. But Azzurra suffered in the second race, losing contact with Quantum Racing early on, they had a winch pedestal problem and then tore a kite to pair a weighty 10th to their first.

In the windy, wavy conditions Provezza shredded a kite near the leeward mark after leading round the first circuit and Paprec had to retire from the second heat after breaking their backstay. This was especially tough for the French crew which had just finished third in the first race.

Standings after Day 1, Two Races
1. Quantum Racing, USA (Doug DeVos USA) (2,1) 3 points
2. Platoon, GER (Harm Muller-Spreer GER) (5,3) 8
3. Gladiator, GBR (Tony Langley GBR) (4,4) 8
4. Azzurra, ITA (Pablo/Alberto Roemmers ARG) (1,10) 11
5. Rán Racing, SWE (Niklas Zennstrom SWE) (9,2) 11
6. Alegre, GBR (Andy Soriano USA) (7,5) 12
7. Provezza, TUR (Ergin Imre TUR) (6,7) 13
8. Paprec FRA (Jean-Luc Petithuguenin FRA) (3,DNF13) 16
9. Bronenosec, RUS (Vladimir Liubomirov RUS) (8,8) 16
10. Sorcha GBR (Peter Harrison GBR) (12,6) 18
11. Phoenix, USA (Richard Cohen USA) (10,9) 19
12. Sled, USA (Takashi Okura USA) (11,11) 22

Racing starts at 12:30 CEST every day, with live coverage on the final three days.

www.52superseries.com

Screaming Down Waves In 1st Place
Phil Sharp and Sam Manuard lead the Normandy Channel Race rounding the first four marks in 1st place.

A faultless race continues by Phil Sharp and co-skipper Sam Manuard. After rounding both the Isle of Wight and Wolf Rock in 1st place on Monday the duo implemented an alternative strategy successfully increasing distance with 2nd place and rounding both Tuskar Rock and Fastnet Rock in 1st place.

As fellow front runners headed west offshore from Cornwall, the duo raced to the south west coast of Wales enabling them to remain on one tack before rounding Tuskar Rock with a 3nm lead, which extended to over 10nm in the rapid approach to Fastnet Rock. Now, over half way back to Wolf Rock the duo are rocketing down waves with a lead of around 5nm in front of the speedy Tales II, Phil comments, "Last night was mad coming up to Fastnet in the dark, and the conditions are still massively intense. Since then we've had to change sails twice to downsize and better cope with the ever strengthening wind, which uses a huge amount of energy, especially because the sea is so rough as it forces you to work twice as hard.

The Normandy Channel Race started on Sunday the 11th of September at 17:00 local time offshore of Ouistreham outside of the Caen canal.

Follow the team throughout the race with the Geovoile live tracker, news updates, and social media, all accessed through the official website at www.philsharpracing.com

The official race website can be found at www.normandy-race.com

Mount Gay Round Barbados Regatta - All Comers Welcome At Caribbean Race-Season Opener
As race teams discover the delights associated with The Mount Gay Round Barbados Race Series, the organisers - Barbados Cruising Club in association with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc and Mount Gay - are preparing for the biggest entry seen for some years at the 2017 event in January (16-24).

This Caribbean Race Season opener offers both high profile teams and club race teams an equal chance to contest not only the highly competitive three-day Coastal Series but also the 60nm Mount Gay Round Barbados Race, and a final 265nm Ocean Passage Race to Antigua to link up with the Superyacht Challenge.

While beautiful yachts including Adix and Elena are keen to uphold the tradition of schooners racing around Barbados, and professional race teams such as Team Concise 10, and Team Phaedo3 (MOD70s) continue to race for the Absolute Multihull record, smaller boat teams including multihulls, J/24s and windsurfers have recognised the opportunity for a chance to win their skippers' weight in Mount Gay Rum if they break one of the 14 records up for grabs.

The mix of seriously fun racing, and fine Bajan hospitality continues all week with a party every night including the legendary Mount Gay Rum Red Cap party, and a final grand prizegiving party at the Beach House, Holetown. Lay day activities include a tour/tasting session at the Mount Gay Distillery, and a specially laid-on exhibition polo match at Holders Polo Field, St James.

mountgayrumroundbarbadosrace.com

Swans In Full Flight
After two days of close-fought racing at the 2016 Rolex Swan Cup, the situation in all six competing classes is delicately poised. While yesterday's opening races took place under a consistent 10 knot breeze, today's conditions were stronger, with wind speeds hitting 15-20 knots.

Making waves in the 16-strong Maxi class, reserved for the event's largest yachts, are the three Swan 115s. Of these new launches, Lord Irvine Laidlaw's Highland Fling 15 has exerted her supremacy as the fastest boat on the water during both coastal races. However, on ORC handicap, Swan 80 Selene currently holds the advantage after registering a first and second place finish. Don Macpherson's Swan 90S Freya lies a point behind.

One of the most eagerly-anticipated competitions is the Swan 45 World Championships. Christian Plump's Elena Nova, runner-up in 2014, is enjoying an outstanding week winning four of the six races. She holds a three-point lead over Esthec with four-time event champion Earlybird a further six points adrift.

Natalia continues to make a staunch defence of her ClubSwan 42 title. Four wins from six races confirm her pedigree. Another defending champion performing to expectations is the Japanese Swan 56 Yasha, for whom two second places finishes are sufficient to lead the Mini Maxi class ahead of Gerard Logel's Arobas. In Grand Prix, James Blakemore's Swan 53 Music leads the standings following two wins from as many races while the most consistent performer among the 36-strong Sparkman & Stephens class designs is Swan 48 Sleeper.

Racing at the 2016 Rolex Swan Cup continues tomorrow, Thursday 15 September, with the first warning signal scheduled at 11:30 CEST. The Long Island Race through the Maddalena Archipelago is planned for all classes.

www.yccs.it

Dominant Day For The British As The Fight Back Begins
Domination was the word of the third day at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Sailing Competition as Great Britain's two-time Three Person Keelboat (Sonar) World Champions finally announced their arrival out on Guanabara Bay.

John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Steve Thomas (GBR) have a wealth of experience behind them and are at their fourth Paralympic Games, but the first two days have not gone to plan for the 2015 world champions. Three bullets from three races was a tonic that was desperately needed to boost their chances, undoubtedly giving them performance of the day.

In a very close second for that accolade were defending Two Person Keelboat (SKUD18) Paralympic champions, Australia's Daniel Fitzgibbon and Liesl Tesch, who day by day eek out more of a lead on their rivals. In the One Person Keelboat (2.4 Norlin OD) it is still anyone's guess as the positions continue to trade as the discard comes in to play for all three fleets.

Top three:

2.4m
1. Helena Lucas, GBR, 10
2. Matthew Bugg, AUS, 12
3. Heiko Kroeger, GER, 12

SKUD18
1. Daniel Fitzgibbon / Liesl Tesch, AUS, 6
2. Alexandra Rickham / Niki Birrell, GBR, 14
3. John McRoberts / Jackie Gay, CAN, 16

Sonar
1. Colin Harrison / Russell Boaden / Jonathan Harris, AUS, 12
2. Alphonsus Doerr / Hugh Freund / Bradley Kendell, USA, 18
3. Richard Dodson / Andrew May / Chris Sharp, NZL, 21

Full results: sailing.org/paralympics/rio2016/results/

Bella Mente Defends Maxi World Champion Title!
It was a great week of racing for New England Boatworks built boats at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup and Rolex Maxi 72 World Championship last week in Porto Cervo. Bella Mente, launched by NEB in 2012, continued her reign of dominance over the Maxi 72 class winning with a 7-point lead over the second place boat.

Rambler, launched by NEB in 2014, saw a second place finish, and Prospector, launched by NEB as Alegre in 2008, took second place in the very competitive Mini Maxi R class.

Everyone here at NEB sends their congratulations to all three teams!

Click here for a look at the custom racers and cruisers built by NEB and click here to contact us about building your custom racing machine!

neboatworks.com

Coming On Strong
Having chosen the ideal boat for the best two-man crews to compete over a wide range of conditions the Star Sailors League is now on a roll

For the past few years the Star Sailors League (SSL) has been attracting some of the biggest names in sailing to compete at some of the fiercest but most friendly grand prix events anywhere. In 2013 Olympic medallists and America's Cup legends came together to create the League, using a ranking system based on the tennis ATP Tour. The League has already attracted some of the sport's greatest talents, including Robert Scheidt, Bruno Prada, Jochen Schumann, Paul Cayard, Torben and Lars Grael, Mateusz Kusznierewicz, Mark Reynolds, Diego Negri, Xavier Rohart and George Szabo.

Just as there are four major Grand Slam events in professional tennis, the long term aim is to bring in four Grand Slams to the SSL. It trialled its first SSL Lake Grand Slam in Switzerland last year, and the first SSL City Grand Slam in Hamburg last May. Each Grand Slam offers a prize pot of $100,000 and a winner's cheque of $25,000.

Full article in the October issue of Seahorse:
www.seahorsemagazine.com

Competitors And 505s Arriving In Annapolis For The 2016 International 505 East Coast Championship
Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Competitors from Australia, Germany, Denmark, Canada and the USA are arriving in Annapolis for the 2016 International 505 East Coast (of North America) Championship, hosted by Severn Sailing Association and Eastport Yacht Club, September 15-18.

This event is a "warm up" for the 2017 International 505 World Championship which will be held in September of 2017. "This East Coast Championship is an excellent opportunity for 505 sailors to check out the venue of the 2017 Worlds" said Regatta Co-Chairman Jesse Falsone. "We have a two time 505 World Champion from Denmark coming, a top Australian 505 sailor, one of the top German 505 drivers, and Canadian and US West Coast 505 sailors joining the East Coast 505 fleet, here in Annapolis."

Thirty four (34) teams are expected to contest the event which will be held well out in the Chesapeake Bay, southeast of Annapolis harbor. Nine races are scheduled with up to four races per day. Racing starts on Friday September 16th.

Event Information: www.yachtscoring.com
International 505 Class website: www.int505.org

Swedish Red Bull Youth America's Cup Team Announced
Stockholm: Artemis Racing and KSSS have announced the team that will represent Sweden at the 2017 Red Bull Youth America's Cup (June 13-23, 2017).

The regatta is scheduled to take place during the week between the two weekends of the 35th America's Cup Match in Bermuda; the youth teams will be racing in the challenging one-design AC45F foiling catamarans used in the Louis Vuitton America's Cup World Series.

Artemis Racing and KSSS held an open application process earlier this year, with the top 25 applicants, both boys and girls, invited to take part in a grueling four day selection event on the island of Groto, in Gothenburg's archipelago.

To sail the AC45F requires tremendous physical strength, and the trialists were put through their paces both on the water, racing on M32 catamarans, as well as in the gym, completing a number of physical tests.

Artemis Racing Youth will compete in the M32 Series event in Stockholm this week, under the name of 'Artemis Youth Racing', and will train on the boat through the winter before heading to Bermuda next spring. Members of the team will also be invited to sail with Gunvor Sailing, in the GC32 European circuit, gaining valuable experience in foiling catamarans.

The team is being supported by Artemis Racing, KSSS, Aston Harald, Pelle P and eWork Group; and hopes to secure the support of additional partners before the racing next summer.

Full Squad:
Marcus Anjemark KSSS/ Radasjon SS Born 1993
Pontus Dackhammar GKSS/ Hjuviks BK Born 1994
Julius Hallstrom KSSS Born 1997
Fritiof Hedstrom GKSS Born 1994
Marcus Hoglander GKSS/ Varmdo JS Born 1993
Eddie Klemets Vanersborgs SS Born 1993
Axel Munkby GKSS/ HjBK Born 1994
Gustav Pettersson, KSSS/ Solvesborg OTS Born 1993
Rasmus Rosengren KSSS/ Malmo SS. Born 1995

artemis-racing.americascup.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 Andrew Hurst, Seahorse International Sailing Magazine:

Re the Ben Ainslie/Finn photo:

I've obviously seen your photo of the GBR Under-23 Finn squad before, but each time I see it again, all I can say is, "Blimey, that small bloke in the middle must be bl**dy good."

* From Dr Frank Newton:

I note with interest experienced Olympic class sailor David Munge's comments upon the heavyweight classification of the Finn Class Olympic Dinghy. I am sure he is correct in that man is evolving into larger and heavier examples.

However if we were to design a 'dinghy' for massive sailors we would not only restart an arms race as far as special weight gaining routines were adopted by Olympic hopefuls, but only transfer that race to another class, and maybe another one after that. In my years of looking after Olympic squad members I recorded typical Finn competitors as being iro 92 Kg. Some heavier some lighter. Such weights can now be seen in the Laser Class. My success in the banning of the traumatic Weight Jacket served mainly to preserve backs and knees in older ex competitive sailors rather than improve race results.

The reason that body weights have increased is partly due to the present rigs being much more powerful than those in the time of Chris Law and coach 'Syd'. We moved from the wooden masts of my generation, through metal to present high tech carbon fibre examples. However during that period the Finn has remained in a Class of its own. Present young Finn aspirants are into weight training and bulking up that they may regret when older. The Finn has evolved into a superb dinghy in its own weight range. Its presence as the heavier competitor's single handed dinghy in Olympic racing should not be called into doubt.

If we venture into much heavier body weight I fear we shall be back to dodgy knees and creaking backs in old age. Man's evolution does not keep up with the evolution of dinghy designs!

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1st place in category Maxi - Barcolana regatta - seven times in a row (2002-2009)
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The Last Word
It comes as no surprise as the election reaches maximum overdrive that rank partisans seeking the upper hand would think invoking my name is a needful thing. But their misery and desperation will secure no joyland from my campaign.

You will not find me giving pneumonia to small children or being an impulsive firestarter. Those are for the lesser evils to which I should never be compared. It is the end of watch for mankind and it is our aim to bury them in the dead zone. -- Cthulu

Editorial and letter submissions to

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