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Marina Kastela Leads ORCi World Championship
Cres, Croatia: Under crystal clear Croatian skies, racing started today in the 2011 ORCi World Championship, with the Croatian Grand Soleil 56R Marina Kastela taking the early lead against 55 rivals in Class A. This is the first of six days of racing in the championship series, which concludes on Saturday, 25 June.

Runner-up was the Action Team's TP52 Anniene 1er Classe from Italy, and in third Roberto Monti's Felci-designed GP42 Airis, also from Italy. In corrected time over the 8-mile course, the results were very close: Kastela was 31 seconds ahead of Anniene, who was 17 seconds ahead of Airis, who in turn was only 1 second ahead of Piero Panicia's Cookson 50 Calipso IV. In fact, the top ten places were all within 1:06 in corrected time using Performance Curve Scoring, with the course adjusted for the reaching leg.

In a class of 55 entries, the Class A start today was very crowded, but Arapov and his team had a very good start on the right side of the line and were able to get away from the pack in clear air.

While Class A was en route to their windward mark, Principal Race Officer Bojan Gale had his hands full with Class B, whose 63 entries over-charged the starting line, prompting a general recall as the wind shifted further to the right, prompting a re-orientation of the starting line.

But before another starting sequence could begin, Class A was already headed towards the leeward gate, positioned just to windward of the starting line, now on a high speed spinnaker reach due to the shift, leaving no room for the new class to proceed on the new upwind leg.

In fact, the tight mark roundings at the gate mark got a little too tight at times, especially in an incident where the bowsprit on Giancarlo Zannier's Arya 415 White Goose from Italy could not quite keep clear of Nick Sinouris's Comet 41S Aristofani from Greece, in full view of the spectator fleet.

The breeze then diminished further so that only Class A could finish their final lap of the course, and so with his sights set elsewhere, Gale led the fleet three miles west in search of the new thermal breeze. Unfortunately, this breeze never materialized with enough stability to set a second race course.

Tomorrow's start to the middle and long offshore races may also be in light air, according to the current forecast, so race managers are exploring course options tonight to announce to the fleet in the morning. The ORC "Green Book" standards specify a score weighting of 1.25 for the middle distance and 1.75 for the long distance race, where the middle distance is determined at a scoring gate within the long race. At least four inshore and one offshore race or three inshore and two offshore races are required for the series to constitute a World Championship.

Event site: www.scor.hr/regate/2011e/orcwc.htm
Offshore Racing Council: www.orc.org

Belcher and Page Show Their Class at Kieler-Woche
Mathew Belcher and Malcolm Page (AUS) look unstoppable in the Men's 470 after they recorded their sixth race victory out of eight at the close of the third day at Kieler-Woche in Kiel, Germany.

The Australian Men's 470 World Champions have shown their class after the first three days of racing in Kiel with a fifth and sixth place finish in Race 1 and 7 the only blemish in a near perfect scorecard.

Przemyslaw Miarczynski (POL) picked up his sixth race win in the Men's RS:X. The Polish sailor is yet to finish out of the top three in eight races sailed so far. But unlike the Men's 470, in second place Toni Wilhelm (GER) has put together some steady results and trails the leader by just six points. Wilhlem picked up his first race win on the third day and it couldn't have come at a better time as the competition reaches the business end with two days remaining.

The Women's 470 is slightly tighter than the Men's after eight races, but Erin Maxwell and Isabelle Kinsolving (USA) continue to lead the way. With double bullets and a third place they have extended their lead to five points over Tina Lutz and Susann Beucke (GER). Meanwhile a pack of three German teams trail Lutz and Beucke in third, fourth and fifth place.

In the Finn class, Zach Railey (USA) trailed Jonathan Lobert (FRA) by five points after the opening day. The American reduced the deficit to one point at the end of the second day and after recording double bullets on the third day the American has taken a two point lead over the Frenchman. Great Britain's Ed Wright sits in third on 24 points.

The Quarter Final spots in the Women's Match Racing competition were decided on the third day. Anna Tunnicliffe (USA) will face Nicky Souter (AUS), Ekaterina Skudina goes up against Anna Kjellberg (SWE), Silke Hahlbrock (GER) meets Genny Tulloch (USA) and Olivia Price (AUS) will race Lotte Meldgaard Pedersen (DEN).

www.kieler-woche.de

Newport J Class Regatta
Click on image to enlarge.

JClass Regatta Newport After a long and frustrating wait at the dock, the third race in the Newport J Class Regatta was postponed. A deep depression covered the area and with strong winds and torrential rain it was decided to re-run the race, if possible, on Saturday. The third race was critical for Velsheda, as Ranger held a 2-0 lead in the 5 race series.

With Friday's racing postponed, two races were held on Saturday in bright skies with a strong 15 knot South Easterly into the Newport Harbour entrance. The first race began with Ranger holding a five boat length lead and the distance never really changed on the subsequent top spinnaker reach and run to the finish. Ranger won by 25 seconds with a small time correction, winning the J Class Newport Regatta with a 3:0 score with two races to go.

Race four saw a repeat of the first start where Ranger managed to push Velsheda above the committee boat, then bear away to cross on time, leaving Velsheda to complete a slow gybe before crossing the line. Ranger had pulled out a massive four-minute lead by the top mark. The two yachts headed off with spinnakers pulling, into a bank of famous Newport fog before piping out later on the downwind leg, past the Castle Hill headland and New York Yacht Club, both packed with spectators. Velsheda slowly ground down the distance but was never really in contention, despite reducing the lead to a creditable 2 minutes 40 seconds.

The series' final race was held in a light northerly breeze.

Both yachts got away cleanly but Velsheda elected the pin end, closer to the next gate, and gained a quick advantage. A gybing duel followed but, after a few inside gybes, Ranger caught her spinnaker high in the rigging and it quickly split, losing her more ground on Velsheda.

At the bottom mark, Velsheda had gained a two-minute lead, enough for her to command the windward berth on the long slow upwind leg back to the shortened course finish line, right in front of the many spectators at Castle Hill.

The exciting tactical race was a fitting end to a great regatta with many thousands of spectators.

Corum Watches presented a wonderful perpetual trophy to Ranger, the overall winner, who also won a unique timepiece - a Corum Tide Watch.

The next big J Class event is in Falmouth in June 2012 followed by The Solent in July 2012, finishing with the 'Hundred Guinea Cup' race around the Isle of Wight on the original America's Cup course.

More information on the Newport Regatta and the forthcoming Falmouth and Solent Regattas can be found at www.jclassyachts.com

Crew Fuel - Recovery After Sailing
Crew Fuel What do you eat and drink straight after a hard days sailing? Maybe the sandwich you didn't get a chance to eat, some biscuit snacks and even maybe a beer?

Time for change, put your body first.

A hard day sailing a dinghy or yacht puts a lot of strain on your body and muscles. Just standing or sitting on a moving platform for 6 hours uses more energy and more muscle contraction than staying on land. In order to replenish vital nutrients, refill energy stores and repair muscle tissue you must eat and drink correctly after sailing.

Protein is a vital nutrient to eat and drink after sailing exercise for repairing the muscles and preparing the body for the next day. You also need to replenish energy stores and aid muscle recovery in the form of Carbohydrates.

Recommended Recovery process:
1- Drink a Crew Fuel Protein Recovery shake within 30 min of finishing sailing.
2- Drink Crew Fuel Instant Carbs for simple Carbohydrates and Hydration.
3- Eat a large Carbohydrate based meal for dinner with vegetable, meat, fish.
4- Drink lots of water to keep hydrated even long after exercise.

www.crewfuel.com

That's Going To Leave A Mark...
The World Cup is going through a crisis. The International Sailing Federation ISAF had created the series by three years ago to draw athletes and the media to all of the most important events throughout the year. In 2011, the success curve of the concept seems to be on the decline. In this pre-Olympic year, Kiel is the final stage of the World Cup series, and ISAF World President Goran Petersson will be here to honour the winners live on stage and in the focus of public attention. However, only a mere handful of the 30 crews who are currently placed among the top three in the World Cup ranking are at the starting line in Kiel.

The Kieler Woche organizers are much annoyed, especially so with the women's match racing: "We had 22 entries, so we arranged to have as many as eight boats, and now, there are just eleven crews," says Jobst Richter. He thinks that the tight ISAF calender is main cause for the apparent lack of interest: "Having the World Cup events in Medemblik, Weymouth and Kiel in close succession with the European Championships in Helsinki in July on top is just too much."

"By now, a number of countries are already through with their Olympic trials, so athletes are taking a break to back in the race at the Europeans," reports Star class sailor Alexander Schlonski (Rostock). His rival Joannes Polgar (Hamburg) has no understanding for the ISAF politics:. "Athletes and regatta organizers are in the same boat, but we seem to be coming up against a brick wall with them." Dirk Ramhorst, Kieler Woche representative at the ISAF, also shares this feeling of not really being heard by the International Sailing Federation.

It seems unlikely that the relationship between ISAF and Kieler Woche will turn into a closer bond. Next year, Kiel will again stage the World Cup final, which with regard to the Olympics shortly afterwards is bound to create a similarly weak interest. Whether another World Cup event will follow seems questionable. From 2013, the ISAF plans to spread the World Cup stages across all continents, and the time window for the European event is April/May. "We will not bend our backs for the World Cup, even though ISAF seems to think we could find a new date for Kieler Woche. We will still bid for hosting a World Cup stage, however, as we know that the best athletes are in this circuit," says Richter. -- Hermann Hell

www.kieler-woche.de

Running The Rhumblines
Based on the results from Whitsunday Sailing Club sprint race series on Pioneer Bay there is no clear cut favourite to win the local boat of the series trophy in the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week in August.

Over the 15 races since early March there have been eleven different winners with the John Galloway skippered Queensland Marine Services winning three closely followed by the duelling line honours contenders the Terry Archer steered Questionable Logic and the Charles Wallace skippered Reignition each scoring two wins.

On consistency Jeff Brown presently holds the 'Bragging Rites' having steered his Northshore designed sloop 007 to record a 1-2-2-2-2-3 to hold a minor advantage over Queensland Marine Services 1-1-1-3-3 and the Kevin Fogarty helmed Spacesailor Idle Time 1-2-2-2-3.

The spread of results involving 15 crews and 11 individual race winners suggests there will be a tactical arm wrestle when the sails are tensioned for the important points in the Meridien Airlie Beach Race Week from August 12-18.

Every skipper and crew naturally understand that the results from the sprint races while being important will be put to the test when they are forced to protect the space and handicap rated speed for the major points in the longer Island passage races and the windward/leeward events on Pioneer Bay.

Terry Archer celebrated his first Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week by winning the Pacific Pontoon and Pier sponsored Performance Handicap class series with his AC 40 Questionable Logic.

He set the platform following a spirited duel with the Charles Wallis helmed Reignition in the opening race over the Double Cone and Armit Island course.

Reignition was the faster in terms of line honour winning the first to finish honours with a course time of 3 hours 15 minutes 9 seconds but the Questionable Logic crew sailed the smartest in comparison to handicap ratings to secure the faster corrected course time with a 36 second win.

The result which equated to Questionable Logic winning the battle by .86 seconds per nautical mile eventually paved the way for her crew to win the honour of the best local yacht of the series in 2010.

They have gained another important 12 months in understanding how to twitch the boat speed and skipper Terry Archer believes both he and crew will be well prepared to defend their overall Performance Handicap championship when the opening regatta in the annual Festival Sails begins on the Whitsunday Sailing Club courses in mid August. -- Ian Grant

Sunshine and Sails
In contrast to yesterday's strong mistral, relatively calm conditions presided over Saint-Tropez today with the Giraglia Rolex Cup race committee announcing a 17.1-nautical mile course that took the competing yachts around the Tourelle de la Rabiou and the Bouee de la Moutte. Today's race started with 5-7 knots of breeze which gradually increased after the first start at 12.10 CEST.

Today's winners were: Alegre (GBR) in Group 0 IRC, Cuordileone (ITA) in Group A IRC, Tchin Tchin (FRA) in Group B IRC and Manida (ITA) in Group B ORC.

It was a particularly good day for Andres Soriano's Alegre, the first boat to cross the finish line, and winner on corrected time.

The unique partnership onboard the Imoca 60 DCNS 100 (FRA) is one of the most fascinating stories emerging at the 59th Giraglia Rolex Cup. 'Les Filieres du Talent' is DCNS's innovative project, which unites an experienced sailor and a complete novice. The yachtsman in question is the professional skipper Marc Thiercelin and his apprentice is Luc Alphand. The same Alphand, who enjoyed a glittering career as an Olympic and World Cup skier before spending over a decade as a motorsports driver competing in endurance events such as Paris-Dakar and the 24 Hours of Le Mans

As Alphand and Thiercelin approach their fiftieth day working in tandem, the latter is well aware of the climatic factors which may determine the team's fortunes: "The weather can of course change. If there is the mistral, it can make the race up to La Fourmigue and the Giraglia incredibly fast. Towards Genoa it can be more erratic. The Mediterranean can be like that: all or nothing."

Thiercelin has a proven record in bringing on apprentices, Christopher Pratt, one of his former pupils is now enjoying his role as tactician on board the 88-ft Med Spirit (FRA).

The near 200 crews competing in the offshore race will be keeping a close eye on tomorrow's conditions ahead of the 243-nautical mile offshore race, commencing on Wednesday.

www.giragliarolexcup.com

2011 Fastnet Race - Free Seatrack Software Coaching and Race Planning
Seatrack For competitors planning to compete in this year's RORC Fastnet Race; Seatrack is offering software coaching and race planning to all new clients. This is a valuable FREE opportunity available for those wishing to upgrade their navigation software.

The performance race system is available in two versions: RACER and GRAND PRIX.

RACER combines all navigational features of Seatrack Cruiser with performance data acquisition and manipulation features. GRAND PRIX is the ultimate tool for the racing tactician and features dynamic instrument calibration, handicaps, start line, and trend plotting.

For further enquiries or to make arrangements please email or call +44 (0)1590 678043.

You can find more information on Seatrack and our products at www.seatrack.co.uk

The Dubarry Women's Open Keelboat Championship
The Women's Open Keelboat Championship is delighted to announce that Dubarry of Ireland are the Title Sponsor for this years event, which is taking place on the 23 and 24 July 2011 at the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble.

Dubarry has been a Race Sponsor since the event began in 2008 and have strengthened their relationship with the event this year by becoming the Title Sponsor.

As Title Sponsor, Dubarry of Ireland will present first, second and third placed teams in each class with generous prizes as well as presenting the overall Championship prizes including the much coveted WOKC Trophy.

The Women's Open Keelboat Championship will be hosted by the Royal Southern Yacht Club, Hamble on the weekend of 23rd and 24th July 2011. Racing will take place in IRC and J80 classes on a range of courses. All female crews are welcome and the popular frocks and flip-flops party will be taking place on the evening of Saturday 23rd July in aid of Breast Cancer Care.

www.wokc.co.uk
www.royal-southern.co.uk
dubarry.com

Francois Gabart's Big Challenge
The rising star in the Figaro Beneteau circuit has never hidden the fact that among his dream events the Vendee Globe is at the top of the list. He probably never imagined that he would be following so quickly in the footsteps of Titouan Lamazou, Alain Gautier and Michel Desjoyeaux.

For the skipper of the 60' IMOCA Macif, entering the 2012 Vendee Globe gradually over time became the logical next step in his career. After entering the Figaro Beneteau circuit in 2008 thanks to the Espoir Region Bretagne selection process, he was chosen two years later as Macif skipper 2010-2011. This is when he began to work with the insurance company and very soon, the possibility of taking part in the Vendee Globe became reality with their decision to launch the construction of a new boat.

A Vendee Globe project after three years in the Figaro circuit. That's quite a step up, isn't it?
"It's true that I hadn't really decided on entering the event in 2012 and was aiming for 2016. But then, with the blossoming relationship with Macif, the idea of taking part in 2012 grew. We really wanted to continue to work together, and the Skipper Macif scheme was due to finish at the end of 2011. So we sped things up to enable our work together to continue."

What are your plans between now and October 2012?
"For the moment, what is really important is completing the construction of the boat. Macif is due to be launched in August. There will then be a very busy period of fine-tuning and training for the Transat Jacques Vabre, and for the return voyage, which will count as a qualifier for the Vendee Globe, as I'll be racing solo."

www.vendeeglobe.org

It Wouldn't Be The America's Cup Without Lawyers
While Russell Coutts was capsizing his AC45 America's Cup boat in San Francisco last week in front of the world's media and Youtube generation, the America's Cup Event Authority has been doing deals. With a new shiny logo, the 34th America's Cup is a clean start - a way of trying to forget about the legal disputes that defined the 33rd event - and with that in mind, the ACEA has named the 'Official Law Firm of the 34th America's Cup'.

Every America's Cup Defender and Challenger knows that to win the Cup, you need good attorneys. The America's Cup Event Authority will get 3 years of services in kind from Hanson Bridgett LLP and in return, the firm gets the title - the Official Law Firm of the 34th America's Cup.

According to a statement, Hanson Bridgett employs more than 150 attorneys in 5 offices across California and will be providing the America's Cup Event Authority (ACEA) with a full range of legal services for the 34th America's Cup.

The irony of a law firm being announced as one of the first partners for the 34th America's Cup, given Russell Coutts' statements about letting the sailors have a go and letting the lawyers sit this one out, seemed to be lost on Richard Worth. The Chairman of the ACEA said:

"Today's announcement signifies yet another step in the transformation of the America's Cup."

Still, it's nice to see the legal profession giving back to the sport that has funded so many of them through hard times in the last few years.

yachtsponsorship.com

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 2004 34' Atkinson Sloop. US$83,000. Located in Pattaya Thailand.

Phillip Atkinson has born a clever design concept that was conceived for low latitude sailing , river and shallow ground exploration normally reserved for catamarans but without the price tag.

An all round sailing yacht that will make good speed in light conditions and handle heavy weather sailing.

You may even consider racing this yacht. Simple in design and large on living space she makes for an enjoyable sailing experience. A large uncluttered cock pit and great head room down below is very pleasant in a 35 foot yacht.

A great boat she is complete with a roached main sail , roller furling headsail sail and spinnaker make this yacht very attractive. A walk through transom makes swimming and diving simple. An enclosed head and functional galley add to the concept of this Yacht. Large opening hatches provide great ventilation.

Brokerage through Lee Marine Co.,Ltd.: www.yachtworld.com/leemarine/

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

The Last Word
When people learn no tools of judgment and merely follow their hopes, the seeds of political manipulation are sown. -- Stephen Jay Gould

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