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Energy Team, Official Challenger for the 34th America's Cup
Bruno Peyron - Philippe Court (PDT YCF) - Richard Worth (CEO Americas Cup Race Management). Photo by Franck Faugere / DPPI / Energy Team. Click on image to enlarge.

Energy Team for AC Energy Team has officially become Challenger for the 34th America's Cup. Launched and run by Loick and Bruno Peyron, this challenge is backed by the prestigious Yacht Club de France. The construction of the first AC72 multihull will begin at the Multiplast yard in Vannes on the 1st September.

Within a month of the official announcement last September that the America's Cup was to be raced aboard multihulls, the Peyron brothers announced that they wanted to bring French know-how together to set up a Challenge to attempt to win the prestigious trophy. That is exactly what they have now achieved. Energy Team, the new French challenge set up around Bruno and Loick Peyron, has been officially registered for the 34th America's Cup since 27th January 2011. It has become the sixth Challenger aiming to grab the silver ewer.

Energy Team has signed an exclusive partnership with Multiplast, the boatyard based in Vannes (Brittany), which is one of the international references in the world of multihull construction (Orange I and II, Groupama 3). The Multiplast yard will be reserved for Energy Team. The construction of the first AC72 catamaran will begin on 1st September with her launch planned for April 2012. Yann Penfornis, managing director of the yard, will be coordinating the AC 72 design and construction teams, under the supervision of Loick Peyron.

The first AC 45, the little sister to the AC 72, will be delivered to Energy Team in March 2011, so they may begin training in Auckland.

The core members of the Racing Team are already in place and bring together a wealth of experience in four major areas that are vital for performance. The core members so far appointed include the following:

Loick Peyron, skipper of the AC45 and AC72: 6 times F60 world champion, 8 times F28 Trophy Champion winner,

Bruno Peyron: 8 times world ocean records champion, skipper of the G Class, which will be the ambassador for Energy Team,

Yann Guichard: helmsman with Loick Peyron : Extreme 40 world number 2, Member of the French Olympic team,

Thierry Fouchier: performance team, the only Frenchman to have won the America's Cup with BMW Oracle Racing aboard which he was the wing sail trimmer.

Jean-Christophe Mourniac: performance team, member of the French Olympic team, one of the world's top 5 Tornado and F18 racers over the past ten years.

Yves Loday: coach for young talent. Former member of the French Olympic team, he was Tornado gold medallist in Barcelona in 1992. He will be joining the team to prepare the "Youth America's Cup" that the American Defender is launching.

www.energyteam.fr

Overnight Duels
Fewer than 15 miles is all that separates two duels in the Barcelona World Race this evening, leaving the possibility of some place changes overnight before tomorrow's 0500hrs (UTC) report. It's no surprise that Estrella Damm and Hugo Boss are the fastest boats at this evening's update: both are the hunters with their eyes firmly set on the prize of a position gain in front.

Whilst MAPFRE are 130 miles closer to race leaders Virbac-Paprec 3 this evening than they were last night, the more pressing concern for Iker Martinez and Xabi Fernandez will be the fact that fellow Spaniards Alex Pella and Pepe Ribes on Estrella Damm are just 13.8 miles back.

MAPFRE have maintained marginally better VMG over this afternoon to hold the star-spangled boat off from any further gains, but the margins are tight, with the two boats' courses just 5 miles apart as they sail towards the longitude of Cape Leeuwin, mainland Australia's most south-western tip.

Meanwhile the bitterly close contest is ongoing between GAES Centros Auditivos and Hugo Boss just 14.5 miles behind. The big black and white IMOCA 60 has been making steady gains towards Dee Caffari (GBR) and Anna Corbella (ESP) - the speed differences this evening are not drastic, but they remain constant, as Andy Meiklejohn (NZL) and Wouter Verbraak (NED) keep up a relentless pressure for eighth.

Central Lechera Asturiana will also be aiming for the boats in front - the 12th placed boat is currently over 3 knots faster than We Are Water, 100 miles ahead.

Kito de Pavant has revealed this morning that Groupe Bel is handicapped through damage to two sails which occured around January 11th, before the Cape Verde islands when the fleet leaders were sailing fast in strong NE'ly trade winds.

The boat is reported to have luffed violently damaging the big gennaker which was rendered unusable. They continued under heavy spinnaker which they damaged the next day.

he skipper explains subesequently that they no longer have the ideal sails for the wind range 15-25 knots. They are understood to be considering a techncial stop, possibly in New Zealand. Any stop after leaving the Indian Ocean must be of a mandatory minimum of 48 hours.

Teams can carry up to 10 officially measured sails which. Up to 60 percent of a damaged sail can be repaired.

www.barcelonaworldrace.org

Join The 2011 Dyneema ® Experience Team and Win a Complete Re-Rig For Your Boat
Dyneema Experience Team DSM Dyneema, producer of Dyneema®, the world's strongest fiber™, is recruiting the globe with its partners for 40 'skippers'. They can test running-rigging made with Dyneema® fiber and share their experiences through social media.

If you are selected as part of the 2011 Dyneema® Experience Team, we'll re-rig your boat completely free of charge with ropes made with Dyneema® All we ask of you is that you test and experience rigging with Dyneema® and share this with us, your friends, family and other sailors worldwide, through social media channels like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

The most active 'skipper' of the 2011 'Dyneema® Experience Team' will experience a masterclass with a friend on one of the Volvo Ocean Race Yachts in Alicante.

Dyneema® has proven to be highly versatile for a wide range of products in the yachting industry. The combination of high performance and durability makes it the ideal material, for running rigging for performance cruisers and professional sailors.

The closing date for applications is March 4, 2011. The 2011 Dyneema® Experience Team ends on September 23rd 2011.

Join the team www.dyneemaexperience.com

A Day of Celebration for the AC45
With its technical shakedown now complete, it was handover day for the new AC45 wing-sailed catamaran, marking the beginning of the next era of the America's Cup. America's Cup Race Management (ACRM) will now manage the logistics, care and maintenance of the prototype as competitors test the boat over the coming weeks.

A traditional Maori blessing started the day as competitors, prospective competitors and New Zealand dignitaries converged to see the latest in America's Cup technology and celebrate the tireless effort of the New Zealand marine industry to make this occasion possible.

After the ceremonial blessing and words from Mayor of Auckland Len Brown and Associate Director of New Zealand Tourism Jonathan Coleman, ORACLE Racing's Jimmy Spithill got up to share his experience on the AC45, as well as he's hope for young sailors everywhere.

"I was excited about the potential of multihulls in the America's Cup before, and now that I've sailed the AC45, I'm even more excited about what this means for the 34th America's Cup. And also, what the AC45 means to the future of our sport," said Spithll. "This boat will be the centerpiece of another great new addition to the 34th edition - The Youth America's Cup. Quite simply, there must be a pathway in place for young sailors to reach the front door of an America's Cup team, and the Youth America's Cup will create clear opportunities for young sailors."

So what did they think of the AC45? Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron youth sailor Edwin Delaat summed it up with his recent experience sailing near the AC45.

"The first time I saw it, there was about 10 knots of breeze and they must have been going more than 20 knots, just flying past us," said 14-year old Edwin. "Just amazing."

www.americascup.com/news/a-day-of-celebration-for-the-ac45_65

Electronic Navigation Workshop
1000 to 1630 Saturday 5th March, 2011 at the Royal Southern Yacht Club

This workshop follows on from the very successful first workshop held in October 2009. This time we aim to concentrate on those areas of interest and concern for small craft users - mainly leisure sailors and motor boaters - and follow up the key issues identified last time.

Morning: Expert speakers will review current equipment on the market with reference to their own products. We will hear about dedicated chart plotters, PC based systems and the latest electronic chart offerings. Also, there are now iPod Apps available allowing them to be used as hand held plotters and providing other information such as weather. Are they serious tools on a boat? Have your opportunity to ask questions and hear expert opinions from the RYA, RNLI and other speakers.

Afternoon: AIS and radar systems are becoming cheaper and more common small craft. However, do you know what can be installed easily on a vessel with existing instruments? What is the professional view of AIS or will they simply switch off Class B reception? Does your reflector work? Collision avoidance will be the theme of the afternoon but does technology make us safer? Have your opportunity to hear expert opinions on a rapidly changing environment and ask your own questions.

Venue: The Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Lunch and tea and coffee are included in the cost of the day. This meeting has been organised by the RIN Small Craft Group and is open to members or RIN, RSrnYC and other clubs.

Cost (includes lunch):
RIN (& affil. clubs) & RSrnYC members: £30-00
Other clubs and guests: £40-00
Students under 21 years: £20-00 (limited places)

Complete the booking form available at:
www.rin.org.uk/events.aspx?ID=51&SectionID=23&ItemID=1152
and return to the Events Manager, RIN, 1 Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AT
or telephone the Events Manager on: 020 7591 3135

Bainbridge International Introduces Membrane Sails
Click on image to enlarge.

Bainbridge International Introduces Membrane Sails As part of Bainbridge International's continuous development program, we are excited to introduce our first Membrane sail construction. We are now able to offer the sailmaker a bespoke load path membrane system.

Diax2 Membrane is designed to give the sailmaker a stronger, lighter, high performance membrane made to their exact specifications. DIAX2M utilises advanced fibre stringing techniques and is available in a variety of styles and fibre types, with the race version featuring clear films and the cruise version with double taffetas. Single and internal taffetas are also available.

Playing a vital part in the launch our new membrane sail construction is the creation of http://sailsource.bainbridgeint.com - an interactive trade website which allows the sailmaker easy access to accurate membrane quotes.

For more information on new DIAX2M or to request samples of any of our products, please contact your local sailmaker or email us at

Camper With Emirates Team New Zealand Volvo Open 70 - First Measurement Test
It was a big day on site for CAMPER and Emirates Team New Zealand when Volvo's chief measurer arrived to perform the first Volvo Open 70 measurement test. This is a process which will now carry on until the end of the race and is critical in order for Volvo Ocean Race to issue a class certificate for the boat.

Watch the latest update from the team as they go through this process at Cookson Boats in Auckland, New Zealand

Watch the video here: www.youtube.com/user/CamperintheVOR?feature=mhum

Two Irish Teams for ISAF Nations Cup Europe II Regional Final
The ISA Racing Manager, Ed Alcock, has today announced that two teams have been selected to represent Ireland in the ISAF Nations Cup Europe II Regional Final next July 19-23 in Gdynia, Poland. As a result of the selection process arranged by the ISA the teams are Sam Hunt from Kinsale in the Open division and Laura Dillon from Howth in the Women's division.

Sam Hunt has extensive match race experience having achieved third place in the ISA Match Race Championship and scoring highly on the Irish Match Race Tour in 2011. He is currently placed 308 in the ISAF World Match Race Open Rankings. Laura Dillon is the current Irish Women's champion having won the ISA Women's Match Race Championship in 2011. She is currently placed 116 in the ISAF World Match Race Women's Rankings and is a previous winner of the ISA All Ireland Sailing Championship.

Match Racing has grown strongly in Ireland since the ISA launched their SailFleet of J/80 keelboats in 2007 and the formation of the Match Race Ireland association in 2010. Among the events that SailFleet has facilitated are the ISA All Ireland and Match Race Championships, the ISAF Nations Cup 2007 Regional Final in Kinsale and the Bangor Match Cup a Women's Grade 1 event on Belfast Lough next August.

"The ISAF Nations Cup is a very tough competition and the best match racers in the world competing. Having hosted the Grand Final in Cork and a Regional Final more recently in Kinsale our sailors know that the standard will be high. Both Sam and Laura are very experienced match racers and know what they need to do to come out on top in these competitions." Ed Alcock.

The ISAF Nations Cup is a global competition to find the world's top match racing nations in both open and women's events and to develop match racing infrastructure around the world. The ISAF Nations Cup website is here: www.sailing.org/nations-cup.php

Gutek Closing the Gap with Brad Van Liew
Determined Polish skipper Zbigniew 'Gutek' Gutkowski has put in a stellar performance over the last 24 hours, covering some 325 miles to come within just 30 miles of current VELUX 5 OCEANS leader Brad Van Liew. Having hit and remained stuck to a tree during the first night of racing, Gutek's Operon Racing dropped back into fourth position and made slow progress, but his strong recovery means that the first three boats are now all within 42 miles of each other and there's everything to play for.

Tactically, Gutek has sailed an almost identical course as Brad on Le Pingouin and Canadian skipper Derek Hatfield on Active House, and his relentless pursuit of them has seen him overtake Derek and claw back valuable miles on Brad. However distance to the finish aside, with all four skippers so close on the vertical plane, a slip-up from any one of them could see the leadership change fast, a fact sure to be adding tension to the fleet.

The skippers have been enjoying some great conditions, riding a low that came out of the tropics and has given them a strong bubble of up to 30 knot winds.

Ocean sprint three positions at 06h00 UTC:

Skipper / distance to finish (nm) / distance to leader (nm) / distance covered in last 24 hours (nm) / average speed in last 24 hours (kts)

Brad Van Liew, Le Pingouin: 4993/ 0/ 326.1 /13.6
Zbigniew Gutkowski, Operon Racing: 5021.3 /28.3 /321.2/13.4
Derek Hatfield, Active House: 5034.7 /41.7/ 310.2 /12.9
Chris Stanmore-Major, Spartan: 5126.7/ 133.7/ 271 / 11.3

www.velux5oceans.com

New Bavaria 40s Yacht For Match Race Germany
Click on image to enlarge.

Bavaria 40s Yacht For Match Race Germany It continues to puzzle us at yachtsponsorship.com why more yacht builders don't use racing as a positioning tool. The argument that 'our customers are cruisers and aren't interested in performance' just doesn't make any sense. As the World Match Racing Tour call for a new match racing boat design for new events, Match Race Germany has announced that they will use the Farr Yacht Designed BAVARIA 40s for their fleet.

The objective of Bavaria was, to supply a product for the customer, that combines all the comfort and functionality, with a big emphasis on performance. The basic concept is built around the Bavaria Cruiser 40, which was launched at last years HISWA in Amsterdam. The reasoning of the Organisers to take this huge step was to once again give the event more value, for sponsors, partners but also to the customer, the world´s best match racers. On top of all the new fleet should be a clear sign to secure the spot on the World Match Racing Tour for the coming years.

Jim O´Toole, CEO WMRT confirmed that such an investment by Match Race Germany would position the event well for the future:

"With such an investment, Match Race Germany will play a key role internationally!"

The World Match Racing Tour is unique amongst elite sailing series in that the promoters provide matched boats and sailors need to get to grips with different styles of boats and sailing. It will be interesting to see what match racing stars like Ian Williams and Torvar Mirsky who are competing in both the WMRT and the Extreme Sailing Series will think of the new boats, but Markus Wieser said:

"Bavaria hit the right button, the symbiosis of performance and comfort has been well achieved. Farr design managed the balancing act very well. I am very happy to return to Match Race Germany 2011, and will try to win the event a second time after my victory back in 2001". -- David Fuller in Yachtsponsorship.com

www.yachtsponsorship.com/2011/02/

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 Rich Hayes: Very interesting reading Richard Thomas's piece in S'butt 2280 today, and it will probably open Le Grand Boite de Vers, which certainly needs opening. It was amusing to read " Many [instructors] are paid no more than £140 a day ".

The daily rate is actually about £80 at a (cruising) sailing school. (Maybe dinghy/windsurfer/powerboat instructors are paid more, I don't know). Sailing schools, by the way, also try to prevent the freelance instructor from working for different schools.

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 2008 Melges 32. US$ 134,000. Located In Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA.

The world famous Melges 32 STAR is now seriously for sale.

If there has been one stand out winner in the most serious and fun filled new class it is STAR. 3rd 2010 Nationals, 1st Key West Race week,( twice) 1st Nationals,( twice) the list goes on and on. Complete with every bell and whistle and upgrade that is available in this strict one design, she has proven time and time again she has the pace to win. Complete with a full new set of North sails, trailer with covers, one can step right in and start winning.

Brokerage through Thoroughbred Yacht Sales: www.yachtworld.com/thoroughbred/

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

The Last Word
Newman's second law: Just when things look darkest, they go black. -- Paul Newman

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