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bluQube Scoring Gate Is Moved To Preserve Safety
As the Global Ocean Race (GOR) fleet leaders approach the bluQube Scoring Gate in the middle of the Pacific, Conrad Colman and Adrian Kuttel have been pushing hard on their Akilaria RC2, Cessna Citation, sustaining averages of over 14 knots and pulling away from Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon in second on Financial Crisis.

Furthest north, in third place, the South Africans on Phesheya-Racing are timing their route to hook into the favourable breeze as Cyclone Cyril rumbles south-east into the Roaring Forties, while over 2,000 miles to the west, both Buckley Systems and Campagne de France have made landfall in New Zealand.

Colman and Kuttel are pushing to break the GOR 24-hour speed record of 359 miles on Cessna Citation, averaging over 14 knots for six hours and dropping back to 13.4 knots at 15:00 GMT on Thursday in westerlies from a deep low pressure system centred 850 miles to the south at 64S. Trailing Colman and Kuttel by 169 miles, Marco Nannini and Hugo Ramon are forcing speed from Financial Crisis and hit 10.3 knots at 15:00 GMT, but have dropped back 68 miles behind Cessna Citation in the past 24 hours.

In accordance with the GOR's Sailing Instructions, the GOR Race Committee has decided to move the southern point of the bluQube Scoring Gate from 47S to 50S. "If any boat feels they have been disadvantaged, they can obviously apply for redress, which would be dealt with by the GOR's International Jury, but our priority right now is the safety of the skippers and the boats," says Hall. The Class40s may still encounter ice at any time during Leg 3 and Hall has recommended that the teams continue to maintain a good lookout using all appropriate means, including radar. Leading the fleet, Cessna Citation was 150 miles from taking maximum points at the bluQube Scoring Gate at 15:00 GMT.

GOR leaderboard at 15:00 GMT 9/2/12:
1. Cessna Citation, DTF 3780, 13.4kts
2. Financial Crisis, DTL 169, 10.3kts
3. Phesheya-Racingk, DTL 868, 7.6kts

* After what seemed like an eternal time spent beating upwind the last 48 hours have finally given us some following winds and faster sailing conditions. This came as a huge relief although sailing downwind at high speeds presents its own challenges too.

Last night unfortunately we trashed our biggest spinnaker in an accident caused by a brief malfunction of the autopilot, a problem similar to that already experienced by Phesheya a few days ago, the autopilot suddenly pushed the tillers to one side, enough to send the boat into a violent crash gybe, with mainsail and spinnaker on the wrong side the boat was pinned down, the spinnaker hard pressed against mast and rigging ripped in half before we even got to release it.

The loss of the masthead spinnaker with still 3800 miles to go to Punta del Este is likely to cost us dearly in terms of performance but there's absolutely nothing we can do about it, the sail cannot be fixed on board. -- Marco Nannini

globaloceanrace.com

David Gilmour Wins Hardy Cup
Photo by Aline Van Haren. Click on image for photo gallery.

Hardy Cup David Gilmour today became the first West Australian yachtsman to win the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron's prestigious Hardy Cup under 25, ISAF Grade 3 match racing regatta on Sydney Harbour.

Gilmour, from Perth's Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club, and his crew of Ted Hackney (middle) and Luke Payne (bow) sailed with great skill and tenacity in scoring a 3-1 victory over New Zealander Josh Junior from the Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club in Wellington.

The spectators saw the Hardy Cup 2012 virtually decided in the final 50 metres of heat four of the final, sailed in a 12-15 knot but shifty easterly breeze.

Gilmour said that by today's racing he and his crew had got a real feel for sailing the Elliott 6s and this was clearly shown by their tacking and gybing skills in the semi-finals and the finals.

Gilmour also appeared to read better the shifts in wind direction and strength. He certainly picked the gusts to his advantage in both the semi final and finals. -- Peter Campbell

Final results:

1. David Gilmour, Team Gilmour, Royal Freshwater Bay Yacht Club (AUS)
2. Josh Junior, Wellington Spirit, Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club (NZL)
3. Jay Griffin, Match Stick Racing, Cruising Yacht Club (AUS)
4. Jordan Reece, True Blue Racing, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (AUS)
5. David Chapman, The B Team, Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron (AUS)
6. Tim Coltman, Youth Scheme, Royal Port Nicholson Yacht Club (NZL)
7. Ashlen Rooklyn, SBR, Cruising Yacht Club (AUS)

www.rsys.com.au/sailing/hardycuphomepage.php

Crazy Priced Whole Boat Race Charter Package for Antigua's RORC Caribbean 600! - 18th-25th February
Click on image to enlarge.

RORC Caribbean 600 Lancelot II, the immaculate 2011 'tooled up' Beneteau First 40 is available for whole boat charter for the RORC Caribbean 600 starting on 20th February. A cancellation means that Ondeck can provide this package at over 40% off the charter price at just GBP£4995 / US$7995 (including race entry, fuel, owner's rep/skipper, provisioning for the race, full shore support and event management).

You just need to get 6-10 people together and turn up to race... we take care of the rest! Taking interest for small groups of 2 or more individuals also on a per head cost basis.

Contact Simon urgently on +44(0)1983 284300 or

ICAP Leopard Returns to Defend its Record
Photo by Rick Tomlinson, rick-tomlinson.com. Click on image to enlarge.

ICAP Leopard Cowes, Isle of Wight: Mike Slade is returning to Cowes to compete in the 2012 J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race, Britain's favourite yacht race, with his 100ft Super Maxi ICAP Leopard and in defence of his most recent and the current monohull record set in 2008 at a time of 3.53.05.

The team has broken the monohull record on four occasions, firstly in 1991 racing Ocean Leopard, aboard Hoya Longobarda in 1996 and then in 2001 aboard Leopard of London circumnavigating the island in 4.05.40. The usual stellar crew of former Olympic sailors and Volvo Ocean Race sailing talent are delighted to be returning to the Race and they have their sights firmly set on retaining or even beating their current monohull record.

Entries are piling in for this 81st running of the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race and the Race organisers at the Island Sailing Club are delighted to report that, at the time of writing, they already have 265 entries processed.

New to the event?
Never fear, the Race website is packed full of useful guides and provides practical advice aplenty.

Have a read through the First Timers' guide goo.gl/0PPLh and the Layman's Guide to Racing Rules rtir.me/laymans and your Race baptism won't feel nearly as daunting.

For 2012 the ISC has introduced a series of features in the new Knowledge Box, accessible from the home page. This series, covering ten topics, will run right up to Race day and the articles are being contributed by each of the Race Partners and there'll be one from Title sponsor J.P. Morgan Asset Management. Lots of practical advice here. So, have a look at the current piece from Race Partner Henri Lloyd rtir.me/hl-kbox and also archived is the first article in the series from Small Luxury Hotels of the World rtir.me/slh-kbox

ISC Seminars focus on Race safety issues
The Island Sailing Club encourages you to attend one of two FREE Race seminars it is holding in March. The seminar content has been carefully tailored to be relevant to anyone doing the Race but will be especially useful to those of you entering the Race for the first time.

- Saturday 17th March 2pm at the Royal Southampton Yacht Club
- Saturday 24th March 6pm at the Royal Lymington yacht Club

The Island Sailing Club is also delighted to announce that following the success of last year's Charity Challenge, Race Title sponsor, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, will again be running the initiative in 2012. There are two £1,000 charitable donations up for grabs and it's hoped this will encourage many new charity fundraisers. Read all about it here. rtir.me/charity

www.roundtheisland.org.uk

Vice Admiral's Cup Regatta 2012
The eighth edition of this hugely popular regatta will feature classes for 44-46' series production boats (minimum 4 produced) with a maximum IRC rating of 1.240 and a max SPA of 181.5 sq meters, the J/111 Class, the J/109 Class, the Quarter Ton Class and the Laser SB3 Class. In addition it will provide the inshore element for the 2012 GBR Team trials for the Brewin Dolphin Commodores' Cup (the offshore element being the Royal Ocean Racing Club's Morgan Cup Race on 5 May). The RYA's Selection Committee will be using the regatta to help them identify three teams of three boats with IRC Endorsed ratings of between 1.020 and 1.230 with the proviso that only one boat in the team may rate 1.150 or above. Full details of the RYA's selection procedure can be found at the RYA's Web Site.

Racing will take place on two separate courses in the central Solent with Class 0 (Commodores' Cup trialists), Class 1 (44-46') and the J/111s racing on one course and the J/109s, Quarter Tonners and Laser SB3s on the other. The courses will be predominantly laid windward leeward format with up to eight races scheduled over the three days of racing.

Special rate block berthing has been arranged with Cowes Yacht Haven and entrant's wishing to take advantage of this offer and reserve a berth should indicate their requirements on the entry form.

For further information about the 2012 Vice Admiral's Cup including Notice of Race and Entry Form please visit www.rcyc.co.uk or contact Jo Chugg, Sailing Secretary, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, The Parade, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QU, E-mail:

Boatspod: Deal of the Week
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15% off RYA Stage 1 and 2 Course at SailLaser Weymouth
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50% off Hobie Sailing Gym Membership
20% off Hobie Kayak Sail Adventures in Poole Harbour

To receive BoatsPOD, and to benefit from this weeks deals, register at www.boatspod.co.uk
  (Note: BoatsPOD is only available in the UK)

No Way Back Quick Off The Blocks
Photo by Nico Martinez, www.nicomartinez.com. Click on image for photo gallery.

RC44 Calero The fleet was eager to get the 2012 RC44 Championship Tour started in Puerto Calero today. With a general recall to start the day, Principal Race Officer - Peter Reggio - was quick to get the black flag out with the forecast for boat breaking conditions. The black flag duly kept the fleet behind the line for a clean start.

Artemis Racing (SWE) and French Aleph Sailing Team relished in the full on surfing conditions and took full advantage of other teams mistakes. Artemis Racing, who had rounded the first windward mark in 13th place, stormed across the finish line in second place having timed their final gybe to perfection. Aleph was just behind, managing to plane across the line ahead of early leaders Team Nika, who could only watch as they two sailed into the finish.

It was also the first day the fleet had raced with the new larger mainsail which has increased two square metres in size to 73.1 sq, but with the head of the sail increasing from 1.70m to 2.5m, it was a good test for the new set-up as Torbjorn Tornqvist from Artemis Racing explained. "The new main gives the boats a little more sail area, particularly to give the boats a little more power in the lighter winds. The main was great even in winds like today when you would normally want a smaller main, as far as we saw it performed really well, it was easy to manage and you could de-power it in the top. It's difficult to say on a day like today, a lot of the sailing was about surviving but i think in the light winds it will make a real difference."

With the wind increasing to a steady 30 knots plus the fleet were sent ashore. With a similar forecast tomorrow racing will start at the earlier time of 10.30 (GMT) for the first warning signal.

RC44 Puerto Calero Cup - Fleet Race Results
(After one race)
1. No Way Back, NED
2. Aleph Sailing Team, FRA
3. Artemis Racing, SWE
4. Team Nika, RUS
5. Peninsula Petroleum Sailing Team, GBR
6. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, ESP
7. RC44 Team CEEREF, SLO
8. AEZ Sail Racing Team, AUT
9. AFX Capital Racing, ITA
10. Team Aqua, GBR
11. RUS7 Sailing Team, RUS
12. Katusha, RUS
13. Synergy Russian Sailing Team, RUS
14. Ironbound, USA

www.rc44.com

The Oldest Ocean Race In Australia
Don Calvert, in white cap, at the helm of Intrigue, winner of eight Bruny Island Races. Photo by Peter Campbell. Click on image for photo gallery.

Bruny Island Ocean Race The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania this weekend will conduct the 86th Bruny Island Ocean Race, the 89 nautical mile circumnavigation of the elongated island south of Hobart.

The race will start at 9.30am tomorrow, Saturday, 11 February, on the River Derwent off the Royal Hobart Regatta Grounds, just south of the Tasman Bridge, to mark the opening of the three-day 174th Royal Hobart Regatta.

First held in 1898 and for the first 30 years simply called 'The Ocean Race', the 2012 race is arguably the oldest, continuously (almost) conducted yacht race in Australia.

This year's 86th Bruny Island Race in 114 years (some races were missed during the World Wars and in the first few seasons after World War II) has attracted a fleet of 25 of Tasmania's best performing racing yachts.

From the start, the fleet will race down the river and circumnavigates the island, with the principal race officer setting the direction on the morning of the race, according to weather forecasts.

Don Calvert's Castro 40 Intrigue will be looking for her ninth corrected time win in the race while it will be the first for Tony Lyall's powerful Transpac 52, Cougar II.

Intrigue won its first Bruny Island Race in1985, the year she represented Australia at the Admiral's Cup in England, but Don's first win goes back 55 years when he crewed aboard his father Charles' yacht Caprice in 1957.

The fleet includes several boats that sailed well in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, including David Rees' Whistler, Justin Wells and Edward Fader's Dump Truck, Greg Prescott's 2 Unlimited and Tony Lyall's TP52 Cougar II.

Line honours is expected to be a battle between Cougar, Andrew Hunn's Cape/Barrett 40 Mr Kite, the Farr 40s War Games (Wayne Banks-Smith) and POW (Michael Cooper) and Mark Ballard's 42 South. -- Peter Campbell

A Body Pushed To The Limit
Cruel and unusual punishment is how the youngest Volvo Ocean Race sailor Rome Kirby described the conditions that sapped about 10 kg of his body weight during the race from the Maldives to China.

Minutes after stepping off the boat, the physical signs of a body pushed to the extreme are obvious.

The 22-year-old American's lips are chapped and his ears are crisp from the sun. His eyes are bloodshot from just three hours' decent sleep in the past two days and his clothes are hanging off his frame because of the all too obvious weight loss.

"How do I recover from this,'' he says repeating the question. "I eat and sleep, that's all I'm going to do." His lips then crack as they stretch into a smile at the sight of a cold can of beer. "Oh, now this is recovery."

The teams endured roasting heat with temperatures below deck reaching in excess of 40 degrees Celsius, fuelled by the equatorial sun and soaring sea temperatures of more than 30 degrees.

Sure, they had tiny wall mounted fans that they moved from bunk to bunk with each tack, but there was no iced water or even a cool breeze to give any relief Kirby said.

"It was definitely really draining,'' he said. "I started the race at 92 kg, now I'm probably 83 or 82 kg; I've probably lost 10 kg.

"I eat tonnes, it's just you can't keep up with what you're burning. Then there's the water weight, you're always dehydrated no matter how much you drink, you're just tired and you just can't keep up with it.

"I feel weaker than I did in Alicante. I felt pretty fit in Alicante, now I'm like, I can't lift anything."

Returning home for some rest and recuperation, Kirby said he was unlikely to be having a typical action packed homecoming of surfing or ice hockey. Instead, he would be forced to "put his feet up" in preparation for the Sanya In-Port Race on February 18 and the 5,220 nautical mile race from Sanya to Auckland, which starts on February 19.

www.volvooceanrace.com

IFCA / EFPT Freestyle Judging Clinic
When: 2-4 March 2012
Where: SportsHotel Bloso / Ghent - Belgium

The 3-Day clinic contains all aspects of freestyle judging, freestyel event set up, rules and event management.

The Teachers are, Tom Hartmann from the EFPT and Ruben Petrisie from the EFPKT Kids' Tour with professional assistance from the President of the International Fun Board Class Association, Bruno de Wannemaeker.

Students shall receive an official international judging certificate which is valid for judging on international freestyle events.

For further questions: Bruno: +32 479 940061 /

Outteridge and Scott Join Team Korea
Team Korea is very pleased to announce that their America's Cup sailing team has been joined by two Current World Champion sailors.

The Team is excited to have Australian Nathan Outteridge aboard as new Skipper and helmsman, and look forward to continuing the success that the team has had with its policy of using young skiff talent to lead its challenge for the 34th America's Cup.

Twenty-six year old Nathan is no stranger to top level sailing with three World 49er titles, three ISAF World Youth titles, and a World Moth title to his name. This outstanding sailor's career is set apart by his ability to master any class that he takes on and Team Korea has no doubt that between his commitments to the Olympics later this year he will soon become master of the White Tiger AC45.

"I'm really excited to join the team, it is a great opportunity for me and I'm looking forward to getting my hands on the tiller at the first event in Naples. It is going to be a very busy year for me, with the Olympics in London and also now joining Team Korea but I am looking forward to it and can't wait to get sailing with the team." - Nathan Outteridge

Joining Nathan and the rest of the crew is current World and European Finn Champion Giles Scott from Great Britain. Twenty four year old Giles is joining as tactician and float on the AC45 bringing a physical presence, and even more obvious sailing talent to the team.

Team Korea's sailing crew includes Nathan Outteridge (Skipper and helm), Giles Scott (Tactician and float),Troy Tindill (Wing Trim and Boat Captain), Mark Bukeley (Trimmer and sail Coordinator), and Matt Cornwell (Bow and Rules)

www.americascup.com

Featured Brokerage
Featured Brokerage Boat 1978 Hydro 28 Special. 15,000 GBP. Located in Strangford Lough, United Kingdom.

An excellent cruiser/ racer with a great sail-wardrobe and a competitive IRC rating of 0.900. Substantial improvements were carried out in 2006/ 2007 and she is currently looking particularly smart. A recent survey is available to view on request.

Brokerage through Blue Flag Boats: www.yachtworld.com/blueflagboats/

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

The Last Word
Ability will never catch up with the demand for it. -- Confucius

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