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Emerging Talent Puts Top Seeds On The Ropes In Bermuda
Click on image for event galleries

Argo Group Gold Cup Hamilton, Bermuda; The First Qualifier Session at the Argo Group Gold Cup produced a host of upsets today with notable top seeds failing to assert dominance over their unfazed opponents. Eyes were also focused on newly-crowned ISAF Women's Match Racing World Champion Lucy Macgregor (GBR) Match Race Girls to see how she would measure up to her male counterparts.

Macgregor had a shaky start, losing her first two matches, the second against a young Kiwi skipper who's starting to make big waves in match racing - Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing.

However, the 24 year-old turned her game around in the most emphatic fashion to beat current World Match Racing Tour leader Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team in the next race. With the French skipper still smarting from an earlier defeat, the gutsy Macgregor crossed just ahead as they approached the first windward mark, then played the gusts to perfection downwind, extending her lead to five lengths at the leeward mark, which proved decisive.

Rising star Rueben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing won over formidable opposition to take victory in all three of his races. Eric Monnin (SUI) Swiss Match Racing Team - winner of the Qualifying Rounds last year - was first to fall to the 23-year old Kiwi. Damien Iehl (FRA) French Match Racing Team fared no better, and even last year's Argo Group Gold Cup winner Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN succumbed to Corbett's onslaught.

Standings at end of First Qualifier Session:

Group 1
Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing Team - 2-1
Bjorn Hansen (SWE)Hansen Global Team - 2-1
Phil Robertson (NZL) Waka Racing - 2-1
Taylor Canfield (USA) - 2-1
Mathieu Richard (FRA)French Match Racing Team - 1-2
Lucy Macgregor (GBR) Match Race Girls - 1-2
Michael Buckley (USA) MB Racing - 1-2
Terry McLaughlin (CAN) - 1-2

Group 2
Reuben Corbett (NZL) Black Sheep Racing - 3-0
Adam Minoprio (NZL)ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing - 2-0
Eric Monnin (SUI)Swiss Match Racing Team - 2-1
Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN - 1-1
Damien Iehl (FRA)French Match Racing Team - 1-1
Jakub Pawluk (POL) - 0-3
Lance Fraser (BER) - 0-3

Group 3
Alvaro Marinho (POR) Seth Sailing Team - 3-0
Torvar Mirsky (AUS)Mirsky Racing Team - 2-0
Ian Williams (GBR)Team GAC Pindar sponsored by Argo Group - 2-0
Johnnie Berntsson (SWE) Berntsson Sailing Team - 2-0
Dave Perry (USA) - 0-3
Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) - 0-3
Blythe Walker (BER) - 0-3

Watch the Play of the Day - Phil Roberston beating Lucy Macgregor by the tightest of margins: www.youtube.com/user/worldmrt?feature=mhum
See the Daily Highlights Vodcast at: www.wmrt.com/multimedia/video-gallery.html
View images of today's action at: www.wmrt.com/multimedia/image-gallery.html

Event site: www.argogroupgoldcup.com
Tour site: www.wmrt.com

A Red Letter Day for Russia's Synergy
Photo by Nico Martinez, http://www.nicomartinez.com TP52 Worlds Two back to back wins sees the Russian boat Synergy leading the TP52 World Championships after three excellent races in a building sea breeze off Valencia today.

The crew are no strangers to winning races on the Audi MedCup Circuit and were podium challengers ten days ago in Sardinia, but today was the first time they had ever won two consecutive races at this level. They did so with a new helmsman, top Russian match racer Eugeniy Neugodnikov steering his first ever top level TP52 Series races, having only had a couple of days practice.

In a near perfect sea breeze which built from an early eight to 11 knots for the first race and peaked during an exciting third windward-leeward contest at 22 knots, the Russian crew which has a cosmopolitan afterguard in the shape of Kiwi regular tactician Rod Dawson and Italian navigator Francesco Mongelli opened with a modest fifth in the first race before their back to back bullets.

Terry Hutchinson and the Quantum Racing crew, with Farr 40 world championship winning owner Jim Richardson riding shotgun, won the first race and then posted a pair of third places, leaving the 2008 World Champions locked on the same points aggregate as the Russian regatta leaders.

TP52 World Championship
After Day 1
1. Synergy (RUS) - Eugeni Neugodnikov (RUS), 5+1+1= 7 points
2. Quantum Racing, USA, Terry Hutchinson (USA), 1+3+3= 7
3. Artemis (SWE), Torbjorn Tornqvist (SWE), 3+5+2= 10
4. Matador (ARG), Alberto Roemmers (ARG), 4+2+5= 11
5. Cristabella (GBR), John Cutler (NZL), 6+4+4= 14
6. Bigamist 7 (POR), Afonso Domingos (POR), 7+6+6= 19
7. Audi A1 powered by ALL4ONE (FRA/GER), Jochen Schuemann (GER), 2+10(DSQ)+8= 20
8. Pace (GBR), Johnny Vincent (GBR), 9+8+7= 24
9. Weapon of Choice (GBR), Tony Langley (GBR), 8+7+9= 24

www.tp52worldchampionship.org

Morris Yachts

See Morris Yachts At The United States Sailboat Show!
Look for our big green Morris Yachts Tent on the docks of Annapolis, MD for the United States Sailboat Show, Oct. 7-11. Chris Murray, Service Manager and James Allen, Brokerage Yacht Sales will be manning the tent while yacht brokers Eric, Wythe and Prent rotate through this year's fleet of Morris yachts. On the docks: the M29, M42 Revelation and Morris 42 Rejoice!

For more information on both events go to: www.morrisyachts.com/event/2010/10 or call +1-207-244-5509

Christophe Bullens Dismasted En Route To Velux 5 Oceans Start
Click on image to enlarge.

Velux 5 Oceans Belgian solo sailor Christophe Bullens was dismasted this morning off the coast of France en route to the start of the Velux 5 Oceans. The 49-year-old skipper had been sailing his Eco 60 class yacht Five Oceans of Smiles in 18-knot winds and choppy seas 15 miles from the Normandy coast when disaster struck.

Christophe was down below with another crewmember while two more crew were on deck. They then heard a snapping noise, thought to have been one of the mast's shrouds breaking. Christophe raced on deck and saw the mast snap in two places. All four crew were able to react in time to avoid the falling mast and no-one was injured.

The sails and rigging ended up under the boat, blocking the propeller. CROSS Jobourg, the regional centre for maritime surveillance and safety, dispatched a rescue boat from Cherbourg to aid Five Oceans of Smiles.

It took more than two hours to prepare Five Oceans of Smiles for the tow back to Cherbourg, which then took three hours. The dismasting caused serious damage to the starboard side of Five Oceans of Smiles including a hole in the hull by the ballast tanks. The sails are beyond repair.

Christophe had been on his way to La Rochelle, home of the 30,000-mile solo ocean race which starts on October 17.

The dismasting comes just weeks after he completed a gruelling 2,500-mile qualifying passage from Plymouth in the UK to the southern tip of Ireland then round the Azores off Portugal. During the passage Five Oceans of Smiles was tested in a wide range of weather conditions from strong winds and big seas to light airs. On Christophe's arrival back to Belgium Five Oceans of Smiles' rigging was thoroughly inspected. Earlier this week parts of the rigging were completely replaced. "Nothing is finished," Christophe said after reaching Cherbourg. "I will do everything to be on the startline in La Rochelle on the 17th of October."Christophe's Team Sapphire, aided by the Velux 5 Oceans race management team, are now doing all they can to ensure Christophe makes the start.

velux5oceans.com

Mirabaud LX Will Take Part In Weymouth Speed Week
Click on image to enlarge.

Mirabaud LX Geneva, Switzerland: The famous foiler Mirabaud LX and his skipper, Swiss engineer Thomas Jundt, are getting ready for Weymouth Speed Week (October 16-22).

Weymouth Speed Week exists since 1972; it is one of sailing's mythical events. The speed week has been a meeting point for sailing fans, designers and inventors for decades. Kiteboards and windsurfs have taken over recently, yet Weymouth Speed Week remains a dream for Thomas Jundt and a fantastic environment in which to test his foiler and share views with other speed sailing fans.

"Icarus, the Tornado with hydrofoils, has been a source of inspiration for me", explains Thomas Jundt. "This boat - and so many others - have been conceived especially for Weymouth Speed Week. It is fantastic for me to be able to join this legendary event with the Mirabaud LX."

Geneva based sailors jean-Pierre Ziegert and Jean-Marc Monnard will sail on board Mirabaud LX as crewmembers, replacing the usual crew of Antoine Ravonel and Eric Gobet. "Our goal is to validate the changes we have made this year", explains Jundt. "We are going to be able to fly during four hours every day in ideal conditions, with a lot of wind and no waves. We will probably achieve more in a week than we have done over the entire year in Geneva."

Jundt has developed new foils for this season, and relies on Weymouth Speed Week to top up the 25 knots barrier over 500 meters, and to reach over 28 knots on shorter distances. "As far as today, the best we can do is 21 knots over 500 meters and 23 knots on shorter distances. Our new foils should allow us to gain 2 to 3 knots."

www2.jundt.ch/blog/

Magic Marine Betpro D-One Gold Cup: Agustin Zabalua Wins The First Edition
D-One Class President and former Truth Minister for Europe Philippe Rogge. Click on image to enlarge.

D-One Gold Cup Valencia, Spain: Argentinean Augustin Zabalua is the first Champion of the Magic Marine BetPro D-One Gold Cup that wrapped up with a nail-biting race in Valencia on Sunday. The fifth race was held with a 6 to 8 knot thermal breeze from the southeast and Zabalua cut the finishing line first, thereby scoring his third victory. Italian Andrea Gancia was second over the line and the Hungarian Olympic Laser sailor Zsombor Berecz came in third. Zabalua was in the lead with a 4-point margin on the Hungarian and 6 on Croatian Ivan Gaspic. Nothing was yet decided though. There still was time to fire the gun for the sixth and final race that carried double points and could still shape the final scoreboard. The fleet cut the starting line with a six-knot breeze from 115 that slowly died down to nothing at all while competitors were working their way up the second beat. The excellent Real Club Nautico de Valencia Race Committee rightfully decided to abandon the race and sailors returned to shore where an enormous and delicious paella was awaiting them.

Agustin Zabalua won with the excellent results 4-2-1-1-1, with a 4-point lead on Hungarian Zsombor Berecz (1-6-2- 3-3) and a 6-point margin on Croatian Ivan Gaspic (3-1-5-2-8), first among the six Olympic Finn athletes who took part in the Championship. British Ed Wright, who recently won the Finn Gold Cup, finished fourth overall (6-3-6-4- 12) while Alberto Ferrari, the best of the Italians, finished is fifth (2-11-7-12-5).

This concludes the first international event of the D-One Class that saw 30 helmsmen from 14 nations and 3 continents battle it out on Spanish waters.

Top ten final results:

1. Agustin Zabalua, Argentina, 5 points
2. Zsombor Berecz, Hungary, 9
3. Ivan Kliakovic Gaspic, Croatia, 11
4. Edward Wright, Great Britain, 19
5. Alberto Ferrari, Italy, 25
6. Andrea Gancia, Italy, 26
7. Jonathan Lobert, France, 30
8. Matt Coutts, New Zealand, 31
9. Roman Teply, Czech Republic, 32
10. Andrea Giammarini, Italy, 36

www.devoti-one.com

Seahorse November 2010
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine

Quicklier
It’s getting towards the Fall and so BUDDY MELGES’S mind is moving from scows to duck hunting... plus a little high speed iceboat racing. After all, being 80 doesn’t mean slowing down as he explains to his good friend BILL GOGGINS

A most important occasion - Part 1
A few days after the Little America’s Cup in Newport the plans for a wing-sail America’s Cup catamaran class were confirmed. STEVE KILLING has drawn the last two LAC winners and he kicks off a detailed look at the genre

Equipping the troops - Part II
The 33rd America’s Cup pressed pretty hard against the edges of the technical envelope; so DOBBS DAVIS finds out if ‘trickle down’ still really means anything...

Standing her up
In every sense the 60m carbon ketch Panamax is a mighty undertaking. Composite engineer ROD FOGG looks at one of the hardest aspects of the programme... the boat’s (giant) lifting bulb keel

www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs

Encouraging Numbers -- Top Tier Talent
Key West, Florida: Top national and international programs are adding their luster and names to the growing list of entries for Key West 2011, presented by Nautica.

With racing still over three months away, the competition is shaping up to be world-class with the entry tally running well ahead of the past two years at this time.

The IRC fleet is sure to be one of the marquee attractions. It will feature a strong TP52 class and mini-maxis Bella Mente (R/P 69), Numbers (J/V 66), Titan (R/P 72 chartered by former America's Cup Skipper Bill Koch) and the former Shockwave (R/P 69).

UK standout Richard Matthews' brand new Humphreys 54 Oystercatcher XXVIII, built and delivering directly from Hakes Marine in Wellington, New Zealand, will debut in Key West's warm waters and dependable breezes.

There's more positive news with a Farr 30 class resurgence in the making. With eight veteran programs already entered, there's sure to be a tough fight for daily podium finishes. Class President Deneen Demourkas will helm one of two Groovedercis, with husband John driving the second. Add in Farr 40 and Farr 30 Champion Jim Richardson's Barking Mad and John and Linda Edward's Key West champion Rhumb Punch, and there's a potent mix in this 2011 comeback class.

Melges mania will again be in play highlighted by the ultra-competitive and newsworthy Melges 32 class fresh off their 2010 World Championship in San Francisco. The Melges 24s are already showing their international flair with entries from Key West regulars that include previous Boat of the Week winner Ricardo Simoneschi's Audi (Milano, ITA), Franco Rossini's Blu Moon (Chiasso, SUI) and Henri Samuel's Zig Zag 18 (Paris, FRA).

Racing begins Monday January 17, 2011

Current entries, event details and past results: www.Premiere-Racing.com

Rolex Miami OCR: Notice Of Race and Registration Available Online
Miami, FL, USA: US Sailing's Rolex Miami OCR will bring together the world's top sailors for elite-level competition in the classes selected for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games from January 23-29, 2011.The Notice of Race is now available online at the event website, RMOCR.ussailing.org .

Starting November 2, 2010, competitors and coaches will be required to register online at RMOCR.ussailing.org. Online registration is mandatory, as on-site registration will not be available. The registration deadline for all classes, as well as coaches, is January 7, 2011.

Rolex Miami OCR is open to boats competing in events chosen for the 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition and the 2012 Paralympic Sailing Competition. The 10 Olympic classes are: Laser Radial (women), Laser (men), Finn (men), Men's RS:X, Women's RS:X, 49er (men), Men's 470, Women's 470, Star (men) and Elliott 6m (women). The three Paralympic classes are: 2.4mR (open, able and disabled), SKUD18 (mixed, disabled) and Sonar (open, disabled). In addition to being a world-ranking event, it is also a US Sailing Team AlphaGraphics qualifier.

For fleet racing in the Olympic classes, the regatta will consist of a five-day opening series (Monday – Friday) and a double-point medal race (Saturday). The top 10 finishers in the opening series of each class will advance to the medal race. For match racing (Elliot 6m), which makes its debut in the 2012 Olympic Games, the regatta will consist of an opening series, a knockout series, and a sail-off for boats not advancing to the knockout series. Competitors in the Paralympic classes will have five days of fleet racing (Monday-Friday) and no medal race. Medals will be awarded to the top three boats in each Olympic and Paralympic class on Saturday, January 29.

Regatta Headquarters will be located at the US Sailing Center Miami, an official Olympic training center, in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, Fla.

RMOCR.ussailing.org

Daniel Gibson Captures The 2010 Bahamas Optimist Nationals
Photo of Daniel Gibson by Robert Dunkley. Click on image to enlarge.

2010 Bahamas Optimist Nationals A total of thirty six boats competed this past weekend on Montagu Bay in Nassau in the championship fleet of the 2010 Bahamas Opti National Championship. Sailors coming from Nassau, but also from Long Island, Abaco, Freeport, Governor's Harbour and Harbour Island.

Three races were sailed on Saturday in light wind conditions and four races were completed on Sunday in 8 to 11 knots winds.

Fourteen year old Daniel Gibson from Nassau was crowned Bahamas Champion 2010. Daniel sailed consistently, finishing among the top six sailors in all races except for a seven place in race number two. This is the first time he is awarded the Geoffrey Holowesko Trophy.

Finishing second of the regatta, Spencer Cartwright from Nassau and third, Tyler Cartwright from Long Island.

Forty five boats competed in the less experienced green fleet and six races were completed. With a second place in the first race and five first places in the subsequent races, eleven year old Paul de Souza from Nassau won the regatta followed by Laquille Cleare in second position and by Wesley Cleare in third position both from Harbour Island.

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 1928 82' Classic Racing Schooner 'Kelpie', US$349,000. Located in Oakland, California, USA.

Built for beauty and speed in 1928, Kelpie is still winning races today. The COI for 41 charter passengers or 24 under sail. Kelpie holds many records and is often referred to as "the fastest schooner on the West Coast". With extensive refits over the last 20 years and continual maintenance, Keplie is as fast and elegant today as when she was first launched.

Brokerage through Classic Yachts: www.yachtworld.com/myclassicboats/

Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com

The Last Word
I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle and end. -- Gilda Radner

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