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GGYC Rejects RAK as America's Cup Venue
San Diego, California: The Golden Gate Yacht Club, Challenger of Record for the 33rd America's Cup, has requested the New York Supreme Court to reject Ras al-Khaimah (RAK) as the venue for the 33rd Americas Cup and replace it with Valencia. The Spanish city hosted the 32nd America's Cup in July 2007. Under the America's Cup Deed of Gift, for a match in February the Defender, Societe Nautique de Geneve (Alinghi's yacht club) cannot select a Northern Hemisphere location without GGYC's mutual consent.
The only exception is Valencia, which the court's April 7, 2009 decision expressly permits.
GGYC has consistently reminded SNG that, without our mutual consent, any other venue they select would have to be fully compliant with the Deed of Gift.
In good faith, however, BMW Oracle Racing sent a team to inspect SNG's proposed venue, and, although the team was met warmly by the local authorities, it was clear that the RAK venue fails on every key measure necessary for a successful America's Cup, including: lack of infrastructure, security and wind.
Moreover, in light of the developing situation in the Arabian Gulf region, Ras al-Khaimah is particularly unsuitable. SNG's proposed course area is within 17 miles of islands occupied by Iran in a current territorial dispute with the United Arab Emirates - of which Ras al-Khaima is a member state.
"The choice of RAK underscores SNG's abject failure in its responsibilities as Trustee of the America's Cup," said Russell Coutts, skipper and CEO of GGYC's BMW Oracle Racing team. "It seems that the Defender is prepared to go to any lengths to make this America's Cup a travesty."
* SNG Replies through Brad Butterworth:
Larry Ellison, Russell Coutts and their yacht club, the Golden Gate, seem to believe that the 33rd America's Cup can be won in court as their 7th legal challenge demonstrates. Our team is ready to compete in Ras al Khaimah, UAE, the official venue for the 33rd America's Cup and will begin four months of intensive training before the start of the America's Cup Match on 8 February 2010.
BMW Oracle's latest lawsuit is further proof of their unsportsmanlike behaviour. We will only return to the legal process to show that it is sporting character and sailing strategy that wins races, not litigation. Meanwhile our Cup preparations and training will continue in Ras al Khaimah where we hope they will deign to join us for the America's Cup Match.
As Trustee of the America's Cup, we are convinced that Ras al Khaimah is the perfect and legitimate venue for the 33rd edition of sport's oldest trophy. New York Supreme Court Justice Cahn's order of 2008 stated that 'the location of the match shall be in Valencia or any other location selected by SNG'. As far as BMW Oracle's security concerns: Tiger Woods plays in the UAE every year, Roger Federer plays here every year, and even Russell Coutts sails here every year.
Their claims regarding the Deed of Gift prevailing over the order of the Court are in conflict with previous submissions on the date of the match. Their complaints as to safety are not truly held by them, demonstrated by the fact that they have relocated personnel to Ras Al Khaimah, and have equipment at the venue in preparation for the Match.
We believe this lawsuit is yet another tactic employed by Larry Ellison and BMW Oracle to avoid racing us for the Cup on the water."
Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup
Photo by Ales Fevzer / RC 44 Class Association
The wind was quite irregular, provoking many changes within the fleet. No Way Back played the shifts well, grabbing the second place ahead of Team Aqua and Ceeref whilst BMW ORACLE Racing only managed to climb back up to the seventh place.
The wind started to drop before the start of the second race, leading BMW ORACLE Racing and Organika to switch to genoas whilst the others boats carried on sailing under jib.
No Way Back wins the combined fleet race / match race ranking thanks to their third place in the match race, ahead of Paul Cayard's Katusha, winner of the match and fourth in the fleet regatta, brilliant for his first participation on the 22nd and latest RC 44. Fifth of the match race, Artemis finishes third overall.
The next regatta will take place on November 25 - 29 in Dubai (UAE). -- Bernard Schopfer
Fleet race, final results after ten races:
1. Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist, 28 points
2. No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 44
3. BMW ORACLE Racing, Ian Vickers, 48
4. Team Katusha, Pieter Taselaar, 53
5. Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 57
6. Ceeref, Igor Lah, 64
7. Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 69
8. Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 80
9. Team Austria, Rene Mangold, 95
10. Modri Gaj, Michael Reardon, 97
11. Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Jose Juan Calero, 97
Bank Sarasin RC 44 Portoroz Cup combined fleet race / match race ranking:
1. No Way Back, 5 points
2. Team Katusha, 5
3. Artemis, 6
4. Organika, 9
5. BMW ORACLE Racing, 11
6. Team Aqua, 11
7. Ceeref, 13
8. Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, 15
9. Team Sea Dubai, 17
10. Team Austria, 20
11. Modri Gaj, 20
Dubarry's New Cyclone: Kicking Up A Storm
LiveLoveGoSailing www.dubarry.com/marine.cfm
Good Start From Funchal
Photo by Pierrick Garenne / GPO. Click on image to enlarge.
Meteo Consult, partner of The Charente-Maritime/Bahia Transat 6.50 predict harsh conditions for the next 48 hours. "A low pressure storm is established near the Azores at 1000 hPa and will slightly widen by shifting east. It extends its influence on Madeira with an unstable south-west stream. Further east, a ridge of high pressure is set at 1020 hPa. Next to the African coast it changes to beacome a low north-west flow. Sunday, all these systems shift east. A moderate south-west flow is always present. On Monday, the ridge of high pressure is established on the Canaries. South-west unstable winds remain west of these islands."
The first night was difficult as expressed by the escort boats who faced 35 knots heavy showers and plenty of rain. Most of the fleet sailed west in the early evening, there were at dawn only four boats sailing East, with a majority of the fleet in the West packed in the middle of the zone and a small group that continues completely West. With a leader for each group, both prototypes and series with Andrea Caracci (Speedy Maltese) for the east version and Thomas Ruyant (Faber France) for the west version and Bertrand Delesne (Entreprendre durablement) in the center. On series sidel, Joel Miro (Gaes 677) was also in the east while on the west side and center, were the unavoidable Charlie Dalin (Cherche sponsor-charliedalin.com), Xavier Mavaire (Masoco Bay), Francisco Lobato (ROFF TMN) and Henri Meyniel (Beveac Consulting)
No majorproblems for the fleet: a problem of VHF and autopilot for Maxence Desfeux (Matmut) and a problem of pilot for Olivier Richard (Minute) reported by the escort boats.
Ranking on Sunday, October the 4th at 15:00: Series: 1. Charlie Dalin (Cherche sponsor-charliedalin.com) : 2935.55 miles from the finish
2. Xavier Macaire (Masoco Bay) : 1.3 miles from leader
3. Francisco Lobato (ROFF TMN) : 3.22
4. Henry Meyniel (Beveac Consulting): 4.27
5. Pierre Rolland D2 Maree Haute) : 4.55
Prototypes:
1. Bertrand Delesne Entreprendre durablement) : 2926.76 miles from the finish
2. Fabien Despres (Soitec): 1.84 miles from leader
3. Henry-Paul Schipman (Maisons de l'avenir-Urbatys) : 2.66
4. Stephane Le Diraison (Cultisol-Marins sans frontière) : 4.1
5. Laurent Bourgues (Prim'Soins) : 4.95
Round Robin Pairings Announced For Argo Group Gold Cup
Hamilton, Bermuda: Stage 1, round robin groupings were all the dock talk at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club Sunday. Argo Group Gold Cup skippers and crews weighed in and completed the final stages of the entry process and got their race packets.
The packets included the important Sailing Instructions with the all-important Appendix A. That's the group parings list that tells the skippers which opponents they must face to reach stage 2, the quarter final round. The round robin is the first step on the path to the King Edward VII Gold Cup and $50,000... half of the total $100,000 prize purse.
Tovar Mirsky (AUS) Group 1, Adam Minoprio (NZL) Group 2, and Mathieu Richard (FRA) Group 3 are the top seeds. They rank as the top three in both the World Match Racing Tour and on the ISAF ranking list. Mirsky is ranked first on the WMRT while Minoprio is ranked first by ISAF. Richard is ranked third by both.
Joining Mirsky in Group 1 are Ian Williams (GBR), Damien Iehl (FRA), Keith Swinton (AUS), Eric Monin (SUI), Reuben Corbett (NZL), Robbie Allum (GBR) and Ian Evans (USA).
Paired with Minoprio in Group 2 are Sebastian Col (FRA), Ben Ainslie (GBR), Bjorn Hansen (SWE), Alvaro Marinho (POR), Dave Perry (USA), Rasmus Viltoft (DEN), and Paula Lewin (BER).
Matched in Group 3 with Mathieu Richard are Peter Gilmour (AUS), Johnie Berntsson (SWE), Mattias Rahm (SWE), Phil Robertson (NZL), Blythe Walker (BER), Don Wilson (USA), Charlie Enright (USA).
"We use a formula based on ISAF rankings and Tour experience to develop the parings." said Argo Group Gold Cup Chairman Brian Billings. "We have the top eight skippers and last year's champion divided among the three groups. Then we work from there to make the groups as equal as possible. It is a unique format on the World Match Racing Tour. Sixteen teams will be eliminated before the quarter finals begin. Even the top ranked skippers can be knocked out early."
Spanish Castle To White Night
Extract taken from the Official Volvo Ocean Race Book - packaged together with the official DVD and available for pre-order now at: www.seahorse.co.uk/shop
Skandia Sailing Exhibition Opens Its Doors and Virtual Gallery Goes Live
Click on image to enlarge.
The images featured in the exhibition can also be viewed in a virtual gallery online at www.skandia.co.uk , which includes the full selection of 50 shots and an interview with photographer Robert Wilson.
For five days Robert Wilson and Art Director Greg Horton immersed themselves in a Skandia Team GBR training camp at the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy, giving them "behind-the-scenes" access to Skandia Team GBR's sailors as they embarked on the path to gold medal glory. The imagery created has successfully captured the dynamism and intensity of this talented group of athletes and showcases the varied and demanding nature of Olympic class sailing in an innovative and original fashion.
Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez
Photo by Gullain Gernier, www.martin-raget.com. Click on image for photo gallery.
The Modern divisions began racing near La Moutte but later went far outside the Gulf on a 27-mile course and were able to pick up significant speeds in 12-13 knot wind.
The Wally boats hit lots of wind just before noon and raced two laps around a course inside the bay in the usual race area, coming very close to the Pampelonne beaches along the shore, before heading out on a 14-mile course in the direction of Cap Lardier.
For the past four years there has been a special trophy given to the Classic Yacht over 16-metres that accumulated the fewest points over the week of races. This year the winner was once again Graham Walker and his Marconi Rowdy, who finished the week at the top of her class. Philippe Schaeffer, Rolex France, presented Walker with the Rolex Trophy and a Rolex Submariner, close companion to all nautical achievements. "Thank you very much, it really is a great honor to be here, and to have won this one," Walker said, upon receiving his trophy. "We put a lot of effort into, it was very much a team effort and my entire team should be up here with me. It's really wonderful and very much valued, thank you everyone."
Rowdy also won the Rolex Trophy in 2008, following previous winners So Fong (2006) and Agneta (2007).
Rowdy was designed by legend Nathanial Herreshoff and built by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company in 1916 in Bristol, Rhode Island. She is part of the New York 40 Class, named so because the design is 40 feet off the waterline, and is one of the 14 or so boats in the class that was constructed between 1916 and 1917. Also known as the "Fighting Forties," these sailing yachts were built for members of the New York Yacht Club and Rowdy raced for many years with great success. World War I put a halt to further construction of the class and most of these great vessels have ceased to exist today. Rowdy is one of the few and recently underwent a major rebuild, ensuring a long life for this "Fighting Forty."
Top ten for the Rolex Trophy:
1. Rowdy (Sloop Bermud), Graham Walker, 6.00 points
2. Tuiga (15mji Auriqu), Yacht Club Monaco, Bernard Dall, 9.00
3. Oiseau De Feu (Cotre Bermud), Jean Philippe L'huillier , 9.00
4. The Blue Peter (Cotre Bermud), Michael Aalders, 13.00
5. Mariska (15mji), Christian Niels, 15.00
6. Nan Of Fife (Cotre Auriqu), Philippe Menhinick, 16.00
7. Avel (Gaff Rigged ), Chris Austin, 19.00
8. Thendara (Ketch Auriqu), Markus Schweiger, 23.00
9. Moonbeam Of Fife (Cotre Auriqu), Erwan Noblet, 25.00
10. Emilia, Marco Gastaldi, 27.00
Full results at : www.societe-nautique-saint-tropez.fr
See also www.regattanews.com
Tuiga 1909 Commemorative Prints
These prints are lithographed copies produced on a paper which reflects the quality of the 100 year old originals
Each print shows under real size the Elevation, Main deck, Accommodation Deck and sail plan of William Fife III.
To authenticate the issue each is numbered and stamped.
yachtingheritage.com/product.php?id_product=21
Clipper 09-10 Race 2: La Rochelle to Rio de Janeiro
A salutary lesson for the skipper and crew of Qingdao yesterday - mistakes at sea can be costly.
In this case, an error in entering the location of the eastern limit of the scoring gate and subsequent failure to double check the data cost them the two points they thought they had won in reaching the gate ahead of Hull & Humber. In an event as closely contested as the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race this could be the difference between overall victory and going home empty handed when the 35,000-mile challenge ends in the Humber on 17 July 2010.
It was Qingdao's skipper, Chris Stanmore-Major's 32nd birthday yesterday but he had little to celebrate as, too late, he realised his mistake.
"The worst of it was that we have made a number of sacrifices in fleet position to hit the mark and we could easily have made it had we spotted the error earlier. The mood during the briefing at lunch was sombre but, once the initial shock subsided, the crew, as is their way, immediately started to see the positive side: 'Well at least we got ourselves back to the west;' 'We're in a good position as we knew we would be;' 'We don't have the points but we can still push for a podium position.'
Hull & Humber takes the two points, which have been added to their overall score, lifting them from sixth to fifth on the leader board.
The final point could ultimately bring some consolation to California whose crew is still struggling to break free of the vice-like grip of the wind hole that has held the team in its jaws for so long.
Team Finland has made the move to the west, aiming for the westerly side of the Cape Verde Islands. The Race Viewer shows Cork, Spirit of Australia, and Jamaica Lightning Bolt all following suit.
Positions At 1200UTC, Saturday 3 October
1. Team Finland, DTF 2746
2. Spirit of Australia, DTF 2879, DTL +133
3. Cork, DTF 2880, DTL +134
4. Cape Breton Island, DTF 2949, DTL +204
5. Jamaica Lightning Bolt, DTF 2960, DTL +215
6. Hull & Humber, DTF 3008, DTL +263
7. Qingdao, DTF 3016, DTL +270
8. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital, DTF 3071, DTL +325
9. Uniquely Singapore, DTF 3099, DTL +353
10. California, DTF 3313, DTL +568
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* Keith Barker: I see that "Australian do gooder's" are now jumping on the band wagon over Jessica Watson. Saying she is too young to be sailing round the world single handed. So she collided with another ship. She was on a shake down cruise to try and iron out any problems and the incident has highlighted one. That is what shake down cruises are about. I had the dream of one day sailing round the world and my retirement was geared to this. Now I am disabled and cannot fulfil my dream. I wish I had done it before I settled down to wed and have a family. So I say to her have a go while you can or you might end up like me disappointed.
Featured Brokerage
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She then went on to the 2009 Maxi worlds where she was 2nd overall again beating the same boats above, plus ROSEBUD,and CONTAINER.
She has all new sails and complete gear to step right on and win at the highest level of the sport. Her container and tools are excluded, but everything one needs to race is being sold with her.
Brokerage through Thoroughbred Yacht Sales: www.yachtworld.com/thoroughbred/
Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com
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