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8th Vendee Globe Sees The Biggest International Line-Up
29 skippers have so far fulfilled the administrative, sporting and technical requirements to be able to take up the challenge of the Everest of the seas. To compare the situation, twenty lined up for the last edition four years ago, so the number competing has leapt up (an increase of almost 50%).
The eighth Vendee Globe brings together sailors with a wide range of ambitions and from various backgrounds. Fourteen will be discovering the event, while fifteen are returning.
Five competitors will be entering the elite group of sailors, who have taken part in four editions of the Vendee Globe. One previous winner (Vincent Riou) and four other big names from the event, Bertrand de Broc, Jean-Pierre Dick, Jean Le Cam and Alex Thomson. The two latter sailors have already made it to the podium, as has Armel Le Cleac'h (3rd attempt in 2016).
This edition is also marked by the arrival of a technological innovation, which has been heavily discussed, but which makes its first appearance in the Vendee Globe. Seven skippers will be setting off aboard IMOCA 60s fitted with foils
Six sailors will be setting sail aboard new foilers (Jean-Pierre Dick, Pieter Heerema, Sebastien Josse, Morgan Lagraviere, Armel Le Cleac'h, Alex Thomson), while Jeremie Beyou is competing aboard a monohull from a previous generation, but which has been modified to make the most of this development.
The line-up for the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe
4th attempt
Bertrand de Broc / MACSF (France - retired in 1992-1993 and 1996-1997, 9th in 2012-2013)
Jean-Pierre Dick / StMichel Virbac (France - 6th in 2004-2005, retired in 2008-2009, 4th in 2012-2013)
Jean Le Cam / Finistere Mer Vent (France - 2nd in 2004-2005, retired in 2008-2009, 5th in 2012-2013)
Vincent Riou/ PRB (France - winner in 2004-2005, 3rd equal in 2008-2009, retired in 2012-2013)
Alex Thomson /Hugo Boss (Britain - retired in 2004-2005 and 2008-2009, 3rd in 2012-2013)
3rd attempt
Jeremie Beyou / Maître CoQ (France - retired in 2008-2009 and 2012-2013)
Arnaud Boissieres / La Mie Câline (France - 7th in 2008-2009 and 8th in 2012-2013)
Kito de Pavant /Bastide Otio (France - retired in 2008-2009 and 2012-2013)
Nandor Fa / Spirit of Hungary (Hungary - 5th in 1992-1993, retired in 1996-1997)
Sebastien Josse /Edmond de Rothschild (France - 5th in 2004-2005, retired in 2008-2009)
Armel Le Cleac'h / Banque Populaire VIII (France - 2nd in 2008-2009 and 2nd in 2012-2013)
2nd attempt
Louis Burton / Bureau Vallee (France - retired in 2012-2013)
Tanguy de Lamotte / Initiatives Coeur (France - 10th in 2012-2013)
Yann Elies /Queginer Leucemie Espoir (France - retired in 2008-2009)
Rich Wilson / Great American IV (American - 9th in 2008-2009)
1st attempt
- Fabrice Amedeo / Newrest-Matmut (France)
- Romain Attanasio / Famille Mary - Etamine du Lys (France)
- Eric Bellion / CommeUnSeulHomme (France)
- Conrad Colman / 100% Natural Energy (New Zealand)
- Didac Costa / One Planet One Ocean (Spain)
- Sebastien Destremau / TechnoFirst-FaceOcean (France)
- Pieter Heerema / No Way Back (Netherlands)
- Morgan Lagraviere / Safran (France)
- Stephane Le Diraison Compagnie du Lit -Boulogne Billancourt (France)
- Paul Meilhat / SMA (France)
- Enda O'Coineen / Kilcullen Voyager-Team Ireland (Ireland)
- Alan Roura / La Fabrique (Switzerland)
- Thomas Ruyant / Le Souffle du Nord pour le projet Imagine (France)
- Kojiro Shiraishi / Spirit of Yukoh (Japan)
Southern Yacht Club Wins Resolute Cup
Newport, RI, USA: The competition for the 2016 Resolute Cup, a Corinthian Championship for U.S. Yacht Clubs, ended long before the final race. The team from Southern Yacht Club (New Orleans, La.) was so dominant they would've won the regatta even if they didn't sail the final two races. Marcus and Andrew Eagan, along with Jackson Benvenutti, did sail those two races - which they won, just like every other Gold Fleet race today - and the final margin of victory was 28 points, against a total score of 13. The 2016 Resolute Cup is sponsored by Porsche Cars North America, Helly Hansen and Melges Performance Sailboats.
On the other hand, the race for the other two key honors - the second qualifying spot for the 2017 Rolex New York Yacht Club Invitational Cup and the Silver Fleet champion - couldn't have been any tighter. After some white-knuckle racing and some fretful moments while the scores were counted, Balboa Yacht Club (Corona del Mar, Calif.) finished second in the Gold Feet while Bayview Yacht Club (Detroit, Mich.) survived a incredibly intense race for first place in the Silver Fleet.
Eastern Yacht Club (Marblehead, Mass.) rounded out the top three, two points behind Balboa. Storm Trysail Club (Larchmont, N.Y.) and Shelter Island (N.Y.) Yacht Club were tied for fourth a point further back, with the former winning the tiebreaker.
With the win in the Silver Fleet, Bayview has earned an invitation of the 2018 Resolute Cup. Given the positive reviews from competitors at this year's event, that guaranteed berth could be quite valuable. More than 40 clubs applied to be a part of this year's event and that number could well rise in two years.
Rolex Middle Sea Race, With Five Star Sailing
Click on image to enlarge.
Onboard our Farr 45 'Werewolf' (pictured at right)
You will join our skipper, John, and first mate Sam onboard our Coral, Farr 45 for on the water training and preparation .You will be fully involved in the racing throughout, making you an important and valued member of the race team.
2016 Dates:
Arrive in Malta: Monday 17 October
Training starts: Tuesday 18 October
Coastal Race: Wednesday 19 October
Race starts: Saturday 22 October
Prize Giving: Saturday 29 October
Depart Malta: Sunday 30 October
Cost: £1,595 per person.
What's included?
All race entry and mooring fees, 3 days training and preparation, training in the Coastal Race and the Middle Sea Race, racing skipper, and first mate, food aboard the yacht whilst racing and training and team shirts to keep.
These crew places are for experienced racers and are not available to beginners. All crew members are expected to have medical insurance for the duration of the trip.
We are very keen for more helmsmen, trimmers, foredeck and mast.
For more information please contact John on 0034 618 406 747 or email
Australian Sailing: New Sailing World Cup Strategy Snub To Southern Hemisphere
Australian Sailing has expressed its disappointment in elements of World Sailing's new strategy and format for the Sailing World Cup released earlier this week.
The new Series format has no Southern Hemisphere venues scheduled for the next four years, with only the possibility of an opportunity in 2018. The immediate impact is that this year's Sailing World Cup event in Melbourne will be the last after nine successful years.
Australian Sailing CEO Matt Carroll said, "We support World Sailing's plan to create a long-term strategy and certainty in the sailing calendar and to build closer ties with the Olympic classes. However, with Melbourne now removed from the Series, World Sailing has effectively snubbed the Southern Hemisphere with their showcase event."
"World Sailing has been pushing for sailing to be an inclusive global sport, but the exclusion of the Southern Hemisphere as a host venue for the Sailing World Cup would seem to be a backward step", Matt added.
At the recent Rio Olympic Games, Australia and New Zealand shared the honour of the highest medals per country with four each, and four of the top 10 countries in the medal tally were from the Southern Hemisphere.
Sailing World Cup Melbourne Organising Committee Chairman, Mark Klemens said, "Like many, we were surprised by the announcement that unfortunately no longer includes the Southern Hemisphere in this pinnacle global series. While we have enjoyed working closely with World Sailing to assist in the creation and development of the Sailing World Cup since its inception, we are disappointed that the new series format doesn't include Australia and in particular Melbourne.
"I particularly wish to thank the State Government of Victoria who have been longstanding and generous supporters of this event and the sport of sailing since 1991, the Melbourne Clubs and other stakeholders. We will deliver an outstanding and memorable Sailing World Cup Final this December and look forward to a new direction for Melbourne and its support of other major sailing events", Mark added.
Matt Carroll joined Mark in thanking the Victorian Government for their investment in sailing. "There is no doubt that this investment has supported the Australian Sailing Team's recent success at the Olympic Games in London and Rio.
"While we are disappointed by the decision to move all the of the Sailing World Cup Series to the Northern Hemisphere, we will do all we can to ensure our sailors are given the best chance to compete on a level playing field. Tokyo 2020 is not far away and every opportunity will be utilised to prepare them for the next Olympic Games", Matt said.
Yachtsman And Young Sailor Of The Year Awards
Nominations for the 2016 boats.com YJA Yachtsman of the Year Awards have now opened to start the selection process of finding Britain's top Yachtsman and Young Sailor of the Year.
The nominations announcement came at a reception hosted by Premier Marinas at the Southampton Boat Show attended by past Award winners and members of the Yachting Journalists' Association (YJA).
Nominations for these two prestigious awards are welcomed from anyone within the UK yachting community and the public and can include those involved in dinghy sailing, windsurfing, offshore and ocean racing, short handed and long distance cruising and from the world of powerboating.
The Awards provide an opportunity for the public to put forward their yachting heroes and celebrate the achievements of up-and-coming talent.
Nominations are welcomed until Sunday, October 16, 2016. The winners for each Award will be announced at a gala lunch on Tuesday, January 10, 2017 at Trinity House, London.
This year's Awards mark the third year of boats.com's sponsorship of the YJA's prestigious Yachtsman of the Year awards and the boats.com team will work closely with the YJA in the coming months to deliver the boats.com YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award and the boats.com Young Sailor of the Year Award.
Nominations can be made online at www.boats.com/nominate or by posting back one of nomination cards being distributed throughout the Boat Show, to Yacht Clubs and from any Premier Marinas site across the south of England.
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
Tall Ship 'eye Of The Wind' Is Ireland-Bound
Eye of the Wind with its distinctive reddish brown sails unfurled Photo: Klaus Andrews/FTS. Click on image to enlarge.
A legendary tall ship that's featured in Hollywood movies such as White Squall and The Blue Lagoon will visit Dublin next month for the first time in 20 years.
Eye of the Wind was first built in 1911 under the name Friedrich as a cargo vessel, but the brig began its 'second maiden voyage' under its current name in 1976 after extensive renovations by a British sailing enthusiast.
Since then it's had many adventures on the high seas besides its silver screen appearances, including being the flagship for the scientific expedition 'Operation Drake' in 1978, where even patron Prince Charles took the helm for a spell.
These days, however, the distinctive tall ship rounds the world as a sail training vessel for young people aged 16 to 25, captained for the last seven years by Swiss skipper Cornel Greth - who's determined to make new memories for this more than a century old shining example of sailing history.
Eye of the Wind is set to arrive in Dublin on Wednesday 5 October after a one-week crossing of the Irish Sea from Oban in Scotland. Following a two-day stopover, the captain and trainee crew will sail on to the Netherlands, Spain and the Canary Islands.
For The Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record:
Record: Around Isle of Wight. Outright record.
Yacht: Phaedo 3. MOD 70
Name: Brian Thompson. GBR and 8 crew
Dates:.19th August 2016.
Start time: 13;40;10 UTC on 18/08/16
Finish time: 15;44;24 UTC on 18/08/16
Elapsed time: 2 hours 4 minutes and 14 seconds
Distance: 50 NM
Average speed: 24.15 kts
Comments:
Previous record: "Foncia" Michel Desjoyeaux. FRA. Aug 12. 2h 21m 25s
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
New Book Release Flotsam And Jetsam: The Cranse Chronicles - By Bob Ross
For more than 30 years, a collection of characters, curious situations and humorous bits and pieces has washed across the desk of sailing magazine editor and columnist Bob Ross and published in Australian Sailing magazine in Bob Cranse's By the Way column.
Running since 1976, now the best of them have been rescued and collected together into Flotsam and Jetsam: The Cranse Chronicles.
As well as hundreds of stories and yarns, Ross's photos enhance the text and bring to life many of the characters portrayed.
The 152 page book is available through Amazon as well as an e-book for Kindle.
Bob Ross has been employed in yachting media for most of his life, and in 1976 he co-founded Australian Sailing magazine, along with Ken McLachlan, which grew to become the leading competitive sailing magazine in Australia. When Bob was sailing correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald, he also wrote for the Sydney Sun, but under the pseudonym of Bob Cranse. The name followed him to Australian Sailing where his irreverent column, By the Way, became a regular highlight. Bob is now retired, but still writes the column. Cranse's column is now in its 40th year.
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The Last Word
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