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Ainslie Wins World Championship
Ainslie and team celebrate. Photo by Subzero Images/WMRT. Click on image to enlarge.

Monsoon Cup Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia: Britain's Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN has won his first ISAF Match Racing World Championship title by winning the Monsoon Cup on a day of high drama in Malaysia. The three-time Olympic gold medalist was in imperious form at the deciding regatta having staged a stunning late season charge to snatch the title from the clutches of long time series leader Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team.

The Ainslie v Richard duel went to the very final day of the final event of the season. Having turned the screws on Richard all week, Ainslie knew that if he won his Semi-Final and Richard failed to win his play-off race then the title would be his.

Ainslie's illustrious crew has been in such pressure situations many times before and the experience clearly showed. Their 2-0 victory over Bjorn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team sparked celebrations among the TEAMORIGIN crew, which includes two-time Olympic gold medalist Iain Percy, Christian Kamp, Mike Mottl and Matt Cornwell.

With the World title in the bag there was still unfinished business with the Tour's richest final at stake. Ainslie and his crew kept their composure for an epic final against Australian star Torvar Mirsky of Mirsky Racing Team. The confident young skipper reached the final with ease, defeating Jesper Radich (DEN) Gaastra Racing 2-0 in their Semi-Final.

For Richard it was a disappointing end to what had been a fantastic season in which he led the Tour from the opening race at Match Race France in April. Two further wins followed at the Korea Match Cup and the St Moritz Match Race. However a mid-season blip and a stuttering finish to the year with poor performances in Bermuda and then finally Malaysia have cost Richard dearly, leaving him in second place in the Championship.

Richard reflected: "Obviously it’s a huge disappointment to have finished second in the Championship, having been first all season. Ben has a very strong team and they really deserve to be World Champions. I was happy with our preparation for this event and we sailed a fantastic season, making the podium five times. It’s a year we can be really proud of."

www.wmrt.com

Rod Jabin Wins Second Consecutive Melges 32 Gold Cup Title
Photo by Joy Dunigan, International Melges 32 Class Association. Click on image for photo gallery.

TEXT Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA: Three final races at the 2010 Melges 32 Gold Cup Regatta, hosted by theLauderdale Yacht Club (LYC) enabled Annapolis' Rod Jabin on Ramrod to win his second consecutive Melges 32 Gold Cup title. This is also the first time ever that anyone has won the event, two years in a row. Jabin's team consisted of tactician Chris Larson and crew of Richard Clarke, Curtis Florence, Ray Wulff, Scott Holmgren and Vann Walke.

In second overall, one slim point behind was Steve Howe on Warpath and tactician Morgan Larson. Overnight leader Ryan DeVos and tactician Ed Baird on Volpe struggled in Sunday's three races leaving them to settle for third.

Sunday's original schedule called for only two races, but after Saturday's light air conditions, the impeccable LYC race committee delivered the goods and fulfilled every owner's hopes for three more heats. Gorgeous sunshine and a pleasant 10-15 knots of breeze was pumping for the start,

Top Ten Results (Final, after eight races)

1. Rod Jabin | Chris Larson, Ramrod, 32 points
2. Steve Howe | Morgan Larson, Warpath, 33
3. Ryan DeVos | Ed Baird, Volpe, 39
4. Joe Woods | Paul Goodison, Red, 44
5. Jeff Ecklund | Harry Melges, III, STAR, 46
6. Dalton DeVos| Chris Rast, Delta, 46
7. Lanfranco Cirillo | Michele Paoletti, Fantastica, 51
8. Alex Jackson | Rob Greenhalgh, Leenabarca, 54
9. Joel Ronning | Bill Hardesty, Catapult, 62
10. Jason Carroll | Dave Ullman, ARGO, 62

melges32.com
www.yachtscoring.com/emenu.cfm?eID=409

A New Course for La Solitaire 2011
La Solitaire du Figaro revealed the course of the 2011 edition on Friday 3rd December at the Paris Boat Show, which for the first time shall comprise of four French towns and one foreign town. It also announced Eric Bompard Cashmere’s commitment as main partner for the next three editions.

The single-handed sailors will face a 1,695 nautical mile race in a traditional format with four legs with a decidedly northern course, set between the 46th and 53rd parallels.

Back to basics for the foretaste of this edition of La Solitaire du Figaro as Perros-Guirec and the Brittany Region will inaugurate the festivities. From 23rd to 31st July the seaside town will prepare a lively welcome for the competitors.

On 31st July the single-handed sailors will set off for 320 nautical miles towards Caen. Although 160 miles separate Perros-Guirec from Caen, the course of the first leg does not follow the direct route. On the contrary, the competitors will follow the British coastline before sailing down into the Bay of Seine. The main town of Lower Normandy where the harbour and the race village, ideally placed in the centre of town, shall welcome for one week thousands of visitors curious to meet the skippers. Following several days rest, the fleet shall once again set sail on 7th August for the second leg, of 470 nautical miles, that will take the Figaro Beneteau 2 towards Dún Laoghaire in Ireland.

After leaving the Bay of Seine, a 40-mile or so run, the first obstacle will be the passage of the Barfleur point. The course remains inshore, as the single-handed sailors will sail along the Cotentin to the cape of the Hague, before heading towards the Channel Islands. It will be compulsory to leave the islands of Aurigny, Herm and Guernsey to starboard. The skippers will then take on a long crossing of the English Channel, 120 nautical miles to Land’s End. The last third of the course is a sail up almost full North over 190 nautical miles to reach Dún Laoghaire harbour, South-East of Dublin. Ireland will be the only non-French stop-over of the new race course. The fleet then will set sail on 14th August to The Vendee and the legendary harbour of Les Sables d’Olonne.

The third leg is long at 475 nautical miles, full South for over 300 nautical miles to the Brittany point. The Grand Basse de Portsall buoy will mark the entrance to a coastal run as the point of Brittany will have to be rounded leaving Ushant to starboard. The skippers will be free to choose the course to reach Southern Brittany and the Vendee.

Finally, to close the 42nd edition, the fourth leg, of 430 nautical miles, which will take the Figaro Beneteau 2 to Les Sables d’Olonne in Dieppe. Unlike the first three, this leg is 100% inshore, the Ile d’Yeu and Belle Ile and the isle of Ushant to be left to port. The finish will take place in Northern Normandy and is expected for the 24th August.

www.lasolitaire.com

Hexagon and Spidertech
Click on image to enlarge.

Spidertech Andrea Mura wins the Route de Rhum in the "class Rhum". His 50 footer was powered by sails designed by himself using the materials and technology of Sailmaker International Spa. Hexagon nylons, a new range of innovative materials, are designed to last longer than others. The spcific formulations and the coating technology used are the best available in textile finishing. His downwind sails have been reliable and fast.

The Spidertech sails have been reliable and strong as usual. For the genoa though, the materials where composed in a very innovative way, making the material strong and efficient specifically for offshore sails. Spidertech Sails technology has been recently upgraded with "Molecular Control" a new procedure and chemical tecnology for a superior reliability. For Andrea a big Hurray!

www.sailmakerint.com
www.ventodisardegna.it

Francois Gabart to Take Part in the 2012 Vendee Globe
At the opening of the Paris Boat Show, the Macif Group announced it will be backing Francois Gabart for a 4-year programme in the Imoca 60 circuit, which will culminate in the 2012-2013 Vendee Globe.

Gabart only really began his career as a skipper back in 2008 and since then his ascension has been remarkable, as two years later he became 2010 French Ocean racing Champion. Taking into account the experienced they have acquired and the success they have achieved since 2008 alongside him, the Macif Group has decided to develop its programme by entering the leading ocean racing class.

Committed to a four year programme, the aim is to take part in the 2012 Vendee Globe but also the 2014 Route du Rhum. It is the team behind the most successful ocean racing skipper, Michel Desjoyeaux, who will be in charge of running this project.

vendeeglobe.org

Kokomo Wins the Farr 40 Sprint Series
Sydney, Australia: Lang Walker’s Kokomo has taken out their second regatta win in a row, winning the Farr 40 Sprint Series this weekend. Farr 40 teams from Australia, New Zealand and the USA have spent the weekend fine tuning crew skills and racing strategies as they prepare for the upcoming Rolex Farr 40 World Championship in February 2011.

“We’re very happy to take out our second class event this weekend in what was very trying conditions. Everyone has stepped it up and all the teams out there are very capable. It’s great to see our fellow class members Jim Richardson from the USA and Andrew Hunn from Tasmania at their first class event for this season here in Sydney and we look forward to seeing a lot more of them and other class members over the coming months”, remarked Walker.

Racing this weekend gave the teams a taste of conditions they could experience on the offshore course off Sydney Heads with racing both days being on the Manly Circle with Sydney’s iconic Manly beach as a backdrop.

Light breeze was the order for the weekend with the maximum breeze reaching eight knots over the two days of racing which tested tacticians and crew alike as they worked on honing crew work and familiarising themselves with Sydney’s offshore conditions. Racing in the hard fought one design class was tight with boats losing and gaining on their fleet members as they read the conditions that challenged everyone.

Coming up next weekend will be the 2010 Rolex Trophy being hosted by the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and the entry list hosts Rolex Farr 40 World Champions and Farr 40 Australian Champions all intent on capitalising on the opportunity to get time on the waters that will decide who is the 2011 Rolex Farr 40 World Champion. -- Sam Crichton

F40 Sprint Series Final Results

1. Kokomo,Lang Walker, YCCS, 20.0 points
2. Barking Mad, James Richardson, NYYC, 21.0
3. Estate Master, Lisa&Martin Hill, MHYC, 23.0
4. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, MHYC, 30.0
5. White Cloud, Brett Neill, RNZYS, 31.0
6. Voodoo Chile, Andrew Hunn, RYCT, 33.0
7. Easy Tiger, Chris Way, RPAYC, 38.0

www.farr40.asn.au

Sir Bob? Huzzah!
Bob Fisher Magnus Wheatley is pushing UK Yacht Club Commodores to put forward Bob Fisher for a knighthood. Your humble narrator will join that particular endeavour...

Here's Magnus in his Rule69 blog:

Since posting this last night, I have received precisely 100 emails from all over the world in support of The Fish getting a knighthood for services to yachting. Thankyou. Now, who's going to be the first Commodore from a British club to email and say they'll put Bob forward? Emails please to:

A friend of mine called from Dubai and we had a cracking chat about all things America's Cup before he rather randomly asked me: "Seeing as it's that time of the year (the Queen's New Year's Honours List is being done right now), who in sailing deserves a knighthood?"

The obvious names like Rod Carr and Ben Ainslie were mooted before I said "Bob Fisher" and the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced by my own argument. Bob's the doyenne of sailing journalism worldwide. He's done everything, seen everything, written everything and is globally admired. He's known by Royalty and the common folk alike and he's still racking up the airmiles, travelling the globe to report in his own inimitable style. When Bob speaks, the world listens and these days his musings on the Cup are a must-read. Plus he can really sail and race too (unlike certain others) so his writing is authoritative and most importantly, right. I have a deep admiration for him as a journalist, a sailor and a man.

What more does a journalist have to do to get a gong? The sailors seem to be bagging all the MBE's CBE's and OBE's but it's about time we put Bob forward for a knighthood in recognition of an outstanding contribution over more than half a century to the sport.

rule69blog.com

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

Design - The camera doesn't lie
At last those big colourful stripes on grand prix sails have been given more of a scientific purpose, says Auckland University's David Le Pelley

Seahorse build table - Secret weapon
One of the very best scoring boats at this year's Rolex Commodores' Cup was also one of the oldest IRC designs. John Corby

RORC news - Warmer climes
Eddie Warden Owen

Seahorse regatta calendar

Sailor of the Month
Old(er) hand versus the young pretender

If you haven't subscribed to Seahorse already we're keen to help you attend to that! - Please use the following promotional link and enjoy the hefty Scuttlebutt Europe discount... and it gets even better for 2 and 3 year subscriptions...

www.seahorse.co.uk/shop/subs

Big Names Roll Into Town For Sail Sydney
Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS). Photo by www.harvipix.com. Click on image to enlarge.

Sail Sydney Champions in the making will race alongside their idols when some of the biggest names in Olympic sailing hit Sydney Harbour from today until 9 December for the annual Sail Sydney regatta, organised by Yachting NSW.

On the home front, triple Laser world champion Tom Slingsby, the reigning world champion in both the Laser dinghy and Etchells keelboat, will compete in the Laser

There are others whose recent medal wins have given them a taste. After a protracted battle at the Asian Games in China in November, Ha Jeemin from the Republic of Korea defeated Colin Cheng (SIN) for the gold medal. There are other outstanding internationals in the 41-boat fleet too.

Other Australian Olympians competing are Jessica Crisp in the RS:X sailboard, Krystal Weir, who has moved back into the Laser Radial and two-time 49er world champion Nathan Outteridge with crew Iain Jensen, with whom he won the 2009 Worlds.

Since May 2009, Outteridge/Jensen have won an astounding seven of the eight Olympic class regattas they contested worldwide, with a second place finish at the 2010 Worlds.

Two Australians; triple Finn Olympian Anthony Nossiter also returns having only competed twice since the 2008 Beijing Games, as does Allison Shreeve a formula windsurfing world champion who just missed selection to the 2004 Athens Games.

Shreeve will once again take on Jessica Crisp, whom she lost Olympic selection to, in the Women’s RS:X sailboard. Joining them is rising star, Flavia Tartaglini (ITA) who finished fourth at the ISAF World Cup Sail for Gold, contested at the sailing venue for the 2012 Games and Olympian Jannicke Stalstrom (NOR).

Other outstanding Australian entries include former World Youth champion Laser Radial sailor Gabrielle King, young Victorian Melissa Hitchen-Haw, who was second at the 4.7 Laser Worlds in Thailand in April, multiple Laser Radial Masters world champion Peter Heywood and Tasar double world champion Nicole Douglass, who will skipper a 470.

The Paralympic SKUD 18 will be hotly contested, as Olympians and reigning world champions Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birrell (GBR) take on Beijing silver medallists Dan Fitzgibbon/Rachel Cox (AUS), while Ame Barnbrook/Lindsay Mason (AUS) plan to upset the Fitzgibbon camp, as they too aim for Paralympic selection.

Every state of Australia and the Northern Territory are represented at Sail Sydney, while quality international entries have come from Slovenia, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Finland, Korea, Croatia, Poland, Cook Islands, Moldova, Italy, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, USA, Norway, India, Denmark and Canada.

A field of close to 500 sailors will fill the Harbour less than two years out from the London Olympic Games. As an Olympic scoring event, Sail Sydney will prove pivotal for many. -- Di Pearson

www.sailsydney.org.au

The Future of Sailing Sponsorship According to Matt Strachan
Matthew Strachan is the Sales Director at the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), last week he attended a conference about how sponsorship works for brands and rights holders around the world. Here are his observations.

The future’s bright - the future’s sponsorship.

Amsterdam played host to this year’s conference, and my first experience of Future Sponsorship.

With some industry heavyweights on the various panels, it’s clear to see that effective partnerships, activated well, deliver phenomenal returns. Adidas sold 13 million footballs during the World Cup while Castrol saw an 18% increase int heir brand awareness, 11 million website impressions and well over £300m of media value. Charlies Wirjeratna from LOCOG delivered a fascinating presentation outlining the process by which he and his team generated over £600m of revenues for the 2012 Olympic games.

For anyone, like me, who’s actively out in the market place selling, it’s always interesting to see what your competitors are doing, what’s working for them that might work for you and there was a great discussion on day two about the sales process. Moderator Paul Samuels, who famously did the O2 deal with The Dome, chaired a great session which I’m sure left anyone in a sales or business development role feeling positive and confident that business is out there as long as you do your homework, believe in what you’re selling and ensure you can deliver VALUE to the client. It’s imperative that there’s a thorough understanding of the objectives of the brand and that any pitch is tailored to providing a solution. All to often, according to the panel, rights-holders are out there trying to sell what they need to sell rather than what the brand needs. Once this balance has been achieved, the sponsor then has a responsibility to invest in the activation to ensure the partnership is truly successful.

I left feeling more confident than ever that The WMRT can deliver value on many fronts and the work we’re doing to develop The Tour will enhance any relationships we have and develop in the future.

Full report on YachtSponsorship.com
www.yachtsponsorship.com

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 1986 Baltic 55, US$ 385,000. Located in Albany NY USA.

OUTLAW was originally built for the 1987/88 Whitbread Round the World Race (WRTWR) and competed in this race under the name EQUITY AND LAW. After the Whitbread she was on land in Holland for 11 years. The current owner did a major refit on her at the familie’s boat yard in Albany, NY after purchasing her in 1997. Since then the owners have lived on board, raced, cruised and developed a successful day-charter business in St. John USVI. OUTLAW is USCG certified to carry 12 passengers. The business is available for purchase with the yacht for an intersted party.

Brokerage through Baltic Yachts Americas: www.yachtworld.com/balticyachts/

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

The Last Word
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