OLYMPICS DAY FIVE
Finn Class
Ben Ainslie (GBR) returned to winning ways on the fourth day for Finns at the London 2012 Olympic Sailing Competition in Weymouth with a first and a third to narrow the gap on regatta leader Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) to just three points. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) moved up to third. The second race of the day was won by Rafa Trujillo (ESP).
It was a big day out on Weymouth Bay South course with big winds, big waves and bigger stakes. For Ainslie it was crucial that he started to narrow the points gap and he did just that. Today was the day that he had to make his move on Hogh-Christensen before it was too late. The Brit was fast running out of races to reverse the points score and he came out looking more confident and dominant that at any time this week.
He owned the start of race seven, locking into the dangerous pin end position early and controlling it with perfection until the gun. The Dane was just to windward and just a bit back from the line, but his problem was the Polish boat that was ahead and on his wind. Piotr Kula (POL) was OCS, but he damaged Hogh-Christensen's start enough so that he had to tack to get clear air.
There is one more day of the opening series left before Sunday's double points non-discardable medal race. Today was proof, if we needed it, that it will be a fight all the way to the finish. Ainslie was more aggressive today, appeared to be faster upwind, made fewer mistakes and was blisteringly fast downwind. He seems to have overcome the lacklustre performance of the first three days and refocussed on the job in hand. Hogh-Christensen by contrast made several mistakes and the capsize in race seven may hang over him in the days that remain. Two more opening series races remain and today's change in fortunes has set up a thrilling match between these two amazing sailors. We can't wait. -- Roberts Deaves, Finn class
Races nine and ten are scheduled for 12.00 Friday, on Weymouth Bay South course.
Top three
1. Jonas Hogh-Christensen (DEN) - 18pts
2. Ben Ainslie (GBR) - 21pts
3. Ivan Kljakovic Gaspic (CRO) - 34pts
49er
Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes pulled themselves back into 49er contention after winning both 49er races on the Portland Harbour Course.
With two faultless performances they trail Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) by 11 points after the Australians had their worst day on the water with a discarded tenth and a sixth.
49ers resume racing Friday at 13:30 local time on the Nothe Course with three scheduled races.
Top three
1. Nathan Outteridge and Iain Jensen (AUS) - 24pts
2. Stevie Morrison and Ben Rhodes (GBR) - 35pts
3. Peter Burling and Blair Tuke (NZL) - 41pts
Men's 470
Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell came out flying in the Men's 470 to take the lead as the fleet commenced sailing on the Nothe Course.
The Brits finished second in Race 1 behind Austria's Mattias Schmid and Florian Reichstaedter who had an amazing start to lead by 11 seconds at the first mark. They continued to open the gap throughout the race and 23 seconds separated the Austrians and the Brits at the end of the opening race.
The Men's 470 fleet resume racing tomorrow at 12:10 local time on the Weymouth Bay West Course
Top three
1. Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell (GBR) - 3pts
2. Matthias Schmid and Florian Reichstaedter (AUT) - 5pts
3. Anton Dahlberg and Sebastian Ostling (SWE) - 10pts
Women's Match Racing
Australia's Women's Match Racing skipper Olivia Price celebrated her 20th birthday in style with another two wins as herself, Nina Curtis and Lucinda Whitty guaranteed themselves top seeding for the quarterfinal with one race left in the round robin.
Price, Curtis and Whitty made it 10 wins from 10 starts in the Women's Match Racing competition following victories against Spain and Denmark to be three wins clear of second place.
Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) is second in the round robin followed by Ekaterina Skudina (RUS) and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA).
The Women's Match Racers enjoy a rare day off tomorrow.
Women's RS:X
Marina Alabau (ESP), Lee Korzits (ISR) and Zofia Klepacka (POL) all hold the three podium places in the Women's RS:X.
Klepacka dominated the day winning both of the races.
Top three
1. Marina Alabau (ESP) - 7pts
2. Zofia Klepack (POL) - 12pts
3. Lee Korzits (ISR) - 15pts
Reports from the ISAF Olympic minisite:
www.sailing.org/olympics/london2012/
Complete results at the ISAF results centre:
www.sailing.org/olympics/london2012/results_centre.php
And catch a great morning preview from Yachting World:
www.yachtingworld.com/olympics-2012
DUELS IN THE CHANNEL
The 8th Transat Quebec Saint-Malo, memorable for the duration, intensity and unpredictability, is reaching its final, crucial and exciting chapter. After the success by Erwan Le Roux and his crew on FenetreA Cardinal 3, who got the overall line honours and smashed the Multi50 record, his main competitors are furiously duelling for second place.
Erik Nigon on his "small" 50' trimaran Vers un Monde sans Sida is fighting hard against the bigger 60' Defi Saint-Malo Agglo skippered by Gilles Lamire, after both rounded the famous Fastnet Rock last night and the two boats are neck and neck for the finish in Saint Malo, which they are expected to reach tonight at around 8pm. But their finishing order is still to be decided.
The all-Italian crew led by Andrea Mura on the 50' Vento di Sardegna is also sailing the final miles and pushing hard to meet their target of being the first monohull to reach Saint Malo, ahead of the very competitive Class40 boats, due in overnight or more probably tomorrow morning.
The Class40 fleet is certainly going to guarantee a spectacular and close finish with the leaders Halvard Mabire, Miranda Merron and Christian Bouroullec on Campagne de France, who have succeeded since yesterday to build a gap on their closest adversaries. All but one, as it seems, because the strong international crew on Mare, led by German Jorg Riechers is not giving up and hoping that the strategic move to sail lower will pay off. The final judgement will only be known tomorrow afternoon...
Check out the latest position on the Transat Quebec Saint Malo online tracker at: transat.korem.com/course
Top position report on August 2nd at 13:40 GMT
Class40
1. Halvard Mabire - Campagne de France - Distance to finish 236.4 nm
2. Jorg Riechers - Mare - 28.1 nm to leader
3. Sebastien Rogues - Eole Generation - GDF SUEZ - 65.6 nm to leader
4. Fabrice Amedeo - Geodis - 83.8 nm to leader
Open Class
1. Erwan Le Roux - FenetreA Cardinal 3 - Finished on August 1st 2012, at 07:56:05 - Elapsed time 9d, 14h, 21m, 5s
2. Gilles Lamire - Defi Saint-Malo Agglo - Distance to finish 81.4 nm
3. Erik Nigon - Vers un Monde sans SIDA - 3.4 nm to leader
4. Andrea Mura - Vento di Sardegna - Distance to finish 126.4 nm (First Monohull)
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GULLISARA AND SAETTA FIGHT FOR THE LEAD
Torbole, Italy: Today's Melges 24 Worlds action on Lake Garda was fast, furious and fantastic fun. With six races now complete the discard came into play and the Gold and Silver fleets were decided. Up to six more races are scheduled so the battle continues to rage as the teams attempt to gain any advantage they can whilst avoiding potentially very costly mistakes.
The final two qualifying races were sailed in a shifty Ora southerly wind that put the tacticians well and truly through their paces. With massive gains and losses to be made it was all about managing risk as effectively as possible.
Tonight reigning 2011 European Champion Gullisara stands at the top of the ranking and appears be frightened by nothing. For Carlo Fracassoli's crew the term "conservative" has no meaning and their often daring tactical choices always seemed to reap rewards. A third place followed by a win keeps them at the top of the table by just a single point from their fellow Italian aboard Saetta. Having been able to discard their 19 points garnered by fouling the Z-flag in race one, Seatta's Alberto Bolzan and Nathan Wilmot, still aspire to the title and have Gullisara in their sights.
Moth World Champion Bora Gulari, aboard West Marine Rigging New England Ropes, claimed victory in the fifth race and followed that with a fourth place to claim the final place on the podium. Disqualification from the third race has clearly not dented the determination of the American who may be nine points behind the leaders but is still definitely in play. As is Riccardo Simoneschi's Audi Ultra supported by Eberhard & Co, who sailed with great consistency all day and goes into the second half of the championship in fourth overall, three points behind Gulari and a single point ahead of Christopher Rast sailing EFG Bank and Flavio Favini helming Franco Rossini's Blu Moon.
With the competitors now divided into Gold and Silver Fleets it will be another early start tomorrow as racing is scheduled to start in the northern Peler wind at 08.00. The committee reserves the right to run up to two races in the Peler on a single course with the fleets starting consecutively and in total they aim to achieve three races tomorrow with the afternoon races back on the two courses north and south in the southerly Ora.
Once again tomorrow it will be possible to follow all the action live from the race course thanks to live streaming sponsored by B Plan Sport and Events. Coverage will start just before 08.00 Italian time at www.bpse.it
www.melges24worldchampionship.com
DUTCH NEWCOMERS TAKE FARR 30 PRE-WORLDS GOLD
Bastad, Sweden: Just a day before the 2012 BMW Farr 30 World Championship, bright sun and a chilly Southerly 12-20 knot breeze set the stage for two exciting Pre-Worlds races yesterday. Neophyte Farr 30 team Triple P (NED) took the surprise victory in the two-race series.
Long time class warrior Dr. Harold Bruening aboard Topas (GER) turned in a powerhouse performance, sailing away from the fleet for nearly the entire first race and scoring a 4th place in the second.
Jens Lekland's Inglorious Basterds (SWE) took third place in the Pre-Worlds, tied on points with Bruening, and along with the 19 other racing teams, enjoyed a post-race barbecue dinner provided by Sailing Arabia - The Tour.
Full results for the Pre-Worlds: www7edit.idrottonline.se
International Farr 30 Class Site: www.farr30.org
World Championship Website: sailingbastad.se/seglarveckan-2012/farr-30/
2013 AMERICA'S CUP PROGRAM INCLUDES 55 DAYS OF RACING
The program for the 2013 America's Cup season in San Francisco will include up to 55 days of racing in the Louis Vuitton Cup, America's Cup Finals and Red Bull Youth America's Cup as four teams take up the challenge against ORACLE TEAM USA, the defender.
With the passing of the challenge deadline at midnight on August 1, the team line-up for the Louis Vuitton Cup is set.
Artemis Racing (SWE), Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL), Luna Rossa Challenge (ITA) and Team Korea (KOR) will battle each other in the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America's Cup Challenger Series, for the right to face ORACLE TEAM USA in the America's Cup Finals.
Running from July 4 through September 1, the Louis Vuitton Cup will provide two full months of racing on San Francisco Bay.
In parallel to the challenger series, ORACLE TEAM USA will hold Defender Trials to strengthen its bid to defend the Cup. Jimmy Spithill, the skipper of ORACLE TEAM USA when it won the Cup in 2010, will helm one of the boats, while Ben Ainslie, the multiple Olympic Gold Medalist from the UK will helm the other. They will go head to head on the same racetrack and on the same days as the Louis Vuitton Cup challengers.
The America's Cup Finals, with ORACLE TEAM USA against the winner of the Louis Vuitton Cup, will run from September 7 to September 22 and features a new format with nearly twice as much racing. Previous Cup Finals have seen the teams race in a 'first to five' format, where the winning team needed to collect five victories. In 2013, there will be two races per day, with nine victories required to win the America's Cup.
The first Cup racing in San Francisco will take place later this month with the first event of the 2012-13 AC World Series from August 21-26, with up to 11 crews competing.
RS:X SEEKS JUDICIAL REVIEW
Since the ISAF Mid Year Meeting and the narrow vote to deselect windsurfing and the RS:X for the 2016 Olympic Regatta in Rio de Janeiro, the class has been working on many levels to get this decision reversed under the direction of its crisis management group within the Executive Committee.
The opinion of our legal team is that the decision was perverse and unfair and so accordingly we have issued a claim for Judicial Review [dated August 1st 2012] in the High Court in London which had to be lodged within 3 months of the date of the decision on May 5th
28,385 people from around the world have signed the on-line petition against the ISAF decision. 18,812 have joined the 'Appeal against kitesurfing in the Olympics' Facebook Group. 13,209 are following the 'Vote Windsurfing' Facebook page. The tone of the discussions in these forums has been one of disbelief that two colorful, dynamic, media friendly global events could be so easily discarded.
Disbelief that such a strong pipeline of Youth and Junior windsurfing classes could be discarded in favour of a discipline with no such pipeline
Disbelief that a class, the RS:X, which is second only to the single handed men's and women's Laser Class in terms of size, diversity and global reach could be discarded
Disbelief that a class that has such a high level of women's participation in terms of numbers and quality of competition could be so lightly ignored in favour of an event where only 12 women from 10 countries took part in the last kite course racing world championships
The RS:X equipment by Neil Pryde Windsurfing was selected in 2004 by ISAF after an open evaluation and was the supplied equipment for the men and women 'boards' events in the 2008 Olympic Games and is now being raced in the ongoing 2012 Olympic Regatta.
Read the Judicial Review PDF: www.rsxclass.com
*Editor's note: I am quite sure that the Kite Sailing fellows are rubbing their hands with glee, knowing full well that any good feelings that were held by members of the ISAF council towards windsurfing are now long gone. Reinstatement of the RSX in November is not going to happen after this move. This strikes me as an extremely ill-conceived development with no basis whatsoever in the law. "Disbelief" is not something that can be litigated. How they found a lawyer who'd press this case is beyond me.
FOR THE RECORD
The WSSR Council announces the the establishment of a new World Record.
Record: Transatlantic Monohull Singlehanded; Monohull Singlehanded 60 foot and under.
Yacht: "Hugo Boss" Open 60.
Name: Alex Thomson. GBR
Dates: 17th July 2012 to the 26th July 2012.
Start time: 20; 08; 57 UTC on 17/07/12
Finish time: 17;17;28 UTC on 26/07/12.
Elapsed time: 8 days 21 hours 8 minutes and 31 seconds
Distance: 2880M
Average speed: 13.7 kts
Comments: Previous record: "Armor Lux" Bernard Stamm SUI. Sep 02. 10d 55m 19s
John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council
CLASSIC GIGS CLASS ATTENDING SAINT PETERSBURG CLASSIC WEEK
On the 14th August, Saint Petersburg, Russia, will be graced with the presence of thirty five classic yacht's which will include Dignite, Enchante, Mechta and Alfa who are all part of the classic Gig class and are travelling to Saint Petersburg to take part in the Saint Petersburg Classic Yacht Week.
Typically, Gigs were used by captains and commanders in the Russian, European and United States Navy for transportation right up until the early 20th century. Although all of the above Gigs were built after 1994, they have been built as exact replicas of the 18th century French vessels which were 12 meters long, had 10 oars, 3 masts, and a 13 member crew.
One of the Gigs, Mechta, which is Russian for "Dream", was launched in Saint Petersburg in July of 2007 during the celebration of the City day, and, since then, the boat has been to a variety of sea festivals and events in Finland, including the Atlantic Challenge event in 2008 and a trip from Saint Petersburg to Kotka, Finland, and back in 2009.
Requiring a high level of teamwork to manoeuver, these beautiful boats will be in the city of Saint Petersburg for all to see for a week of racing and social events which both celebrates classic yachts and the heritage of the city of Saint Petersburg.
The week will include three days of racing which will be complemented by entertainment and social events, including a "Wild Sailor's Party" at the Hercules Marina, a night passage through the bridges of Saint Petersburg, and a fancy dress costume ball by the Peter and Paul Fortress. The classic week runs through the famous Festival at the Peter and Paul fortress, where members of the public will have a chance to visit the classic yachts and speak to their owners and crew, making it an event perfect for all that is not to be missed.
The Saint Petersburg Classic Yacht Week 2012 is organised by the Yacht Club of Saint-Petersburg and runs from the 14th August to the 20th August in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The ISAF Alpari World Match Racing Tour is pleased to announce the appointment of James Pleasance as Executive Director. He will operate from the Tour's central London office, effective immediately.
Pleasance brings over 20 years of experience in the marine and sports marketing industry, working with rights holders and sponsors. He has been a Director of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour for the past decade and has played a direct role in the growth and direction of the Tour. He has significant knowledge of the Tour's commercial activities and new event development strategy, which will be a key focus in his new role.
He leaves the Informa Yacht Group where he was responsible for developing a portfolio of events including the World Yacht Racing Forum and Superyacht Cup regatta series.
Stage five of the 2012 World Championship gets underway on the 28 August when the Tour heads to Switzerland for the St. Moritz Match Race.
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Lexus joins the America's Cup as Official Vehicle and Sustainability Partner.
As Official Vehicle of the 34th America's Cup, Lexus is providing a fleet of vehicles for use at AC World Series events, as well as in San Francisco in 2013 during the Louis Vuitton Cup (America's Cup Challenger Series) and America's Cup Finals.
By providing a fleet of energy-efficient vehicles for the competition, Lexus illustrates its shared commitment to the America's Cup environmental goals.
Lexus joined the America's Cup in Newport, R.I. for the final event of the 2011-12 AC World Series, providing a transportation fleet as well as vehicle displays. Lexus will continue to have a significant presence at all future 34th America's Cup events, including the opening event of the 2012-2013 AC World Series in San Francisco from August 21-26, 2012.
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Helly Hansen has announced that the RNLI - the charity that saves lives at sea - will be the Official Charity Partner for the highly anticipated Beauty and the Beast trail-running marathon, taking place on the 22nd September at Stonor Park in Oxfordshire.
Beauty and the Beast is an authentic, multi-lap event, that can be entered individually or in relay teams of up to six people. The event combines stunning parkland scenery and breathtaking views with more than 1500 metres worth of gruelling ascents and descents. Each lap will be just under 4.4 miles in length, culminating with "The Beast" - a monstrously tough final climb.
Renowned for its rich marine heritage, Helly Hansen is a keen supporter of the RNLI, and has joined forces with the charity to implement a number of incentives for participants and spectators to raise much needed funds for the organisation, whose volunteer lifeboat crews and lifeguards provide life-saving services around the coasts of the UK and Republic of Ireland. In 2011, the charity's lifeboat crews saved 354 lives and rescued 7,976 people, while RNLI lifeguards aided 17,671 people and carried out 2M preventative actions.
www.hellyhansenbeautyandthebeast.co.uk
www.rnli.org
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The Governor of South Korea's Gyeongnam Province, Du Kwam Kim, has confirmed the dates of next year's Yacht & Boat Korea.
The 2013 event will be held from May 2-5 at the Changwon Exhibition and Convention Center in Changwon City, Gyeongnam Province. A purpose-built marina in nearby Jinhae will feature an on-water display of boats.
Jin Hoe Kim, president of event organiser GNA International, is keen to build on the show's past success. Visitor numbers in 2012 were up compared to the previous edition, with a number of good sales and leads reported.
Around 147 exhibitors were in attendance from Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Spain, the US, Italy and Australia.
Yacht & Boat Korea 2013 will feature a wide range of power and sailboats, as well as locally produced and imported electronics, marina companies and technology, chandlery and fishing gear. https://plus.ibinews.com
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -
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* From Cam Lewi: Halvard and Miranda visited me in Camden Maine on their way to the start in Quebec in June.
I just want to tell all !!!
This team are the most incredible duo out there in the Quebec to St Malo Transat that I have ever met- The Battle of Hastings was in 1066 and we have 2 people and I surmise another crew member kicking some ass in one of my favorite Transat Races - go go go!
Normandy and the UK United again!
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THE LAST WORD
People of privilege will always risk their complete destruction rather than surrender any material part of their advantage. -- John Kenneth Galbraith