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ISAF Match Race Rankings
Ian Williams (GBR) and Claire Leroy (FRA) hold onto World #1 in the Open and Women's Match Race Rankings whilst ISAF Nations Cup European Regional Final Winner Viktor Ogeman reaps the rewards of his success to move to a personal best of World #28.
Open Rankings
With the Alpari World Match Race Tour getting underway on 15 May a busy year of Open match racing lies ahead and Ian Williams (GBR) is perfectly primed at the top of the Open Rankings with a healthy advantage. Williams is nearly 900 points ahead of Bjorn Hansen (SWE) and over 1,300 ahead of World #3 Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA).
Top ten open rankings:
1. Ian Williams, GBR
2. Bjorn Hansen, SWE
3. Pierre-antoine Morvan, FRA
4. Philip Robertson, NZL
5. Taylor Canfield, ISV
6. Keith Swinton, AUS
7. William Tiller, NZL
8. Laurie Jury, NZL
9. Johnie Berntsson, SWE
10. Peter Gilmour, AUS
Women's Rankings
There were no Women's ISAF Graded events in the current Rankings period however based on the ranking system minor shifts in position are evident in this month's rankings.
A busy period of Women's Match Racing is on the horizon with the ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship taking place in Busan, Korea from 4-9 June 2013.
A competitive field that includes former 2005 World Champion Sally Barkow (USA) and London 2012 Women's Match Racing Olympic Champion Tamara Echegoyen (ESP) will make the trip to Korea to stake their claim for the world title.
Two ISAF Nations Cup Regional Finals in Europe and Asia are scheduled ahead of the next Rankings release on 19 June as well as the ISAF Grade 1 St. Quay Women's Match Racing event in France meaning that changes could be widespread in the next release.
Top ten women's rankings:
1. Claire Leroy, FRA
2. Ekaterina Skudina, RUS
3. Anna Tunnicliffe, USA
4. Camilla Ulrikkeholm, DEN
5. Lucy Macgregor, GBR
6. Olivia Price, AUS
7. Silja Lehtinen, FIN
8. Julie Bossard, FRA
9. Tamara Echegoyen, ESP
10. Sally Barkow, USA
www.sailing.org/rankings/match/index.php
New Cape Verdes Route Proves Popular With ARC Sailors
The view over Porto Grande, Sao Vincente. Click on image to enlarge.
From the pre-departure programme ensuring crews are relaxed and prepared, to the friendly welcome each boat receives on arrival in Saint Lucia, the unique spirit that surrounds the ARC each year has meant the Rally is firmly on the 'bucket list' for cruising sailors. Since its creation almost 30 years ago, World Cruising Club has built on these key strengths and provides a safe and social event that annually attracts hundreds of cruising boats to cross the Atlantic with the help of their expert organisation.
In 2013, demand to join the ARC has been unprecedented and World Cruising Club have announced the addition of a new route option for the world's most popular cruising rally, to give even more dedicated cruising sailors the chance to join the transatlantic rally of choice and offer a new experience for returning participants keen to expand on their previous crossings. ARC+ Cape Verdes will depart Las Palmas on 10 November, 2 weeks earlier than the traditional start, and feature a 3-5 day stopover in Mindelo, São Vincente, before continuing with the trade winds to Saint Lucia. The rally has already proved extremely popular and entries are expected to reach capacity 50 boats in the coming weeks.
Enfant Terrible Takes Early Lead at Farr 40 U.S. East Coast Championship
Skipper Alberto Rossi and the Enfant Terrible team posted a pair of seconds on Day 1 of the Farr 40 East Coast Championship, being held on the Chesapeake Bay. Photo by Sarah Proctor, sailfastphotography.com. Click on image to enlarge.
It was a typically fluky day on the Chesapeake Bay, and surprisingly one of the European teams figured things out the best on the opening day of the 2013 Farr 40 East Coast Championship.
Four of the eight boats featured Annapolis sailors with extensive local knowledge of the Chesapeake and its shifty winds and unpredictable tidal currents. However, it was the Italian team aboard Enfant Terrible that most successfully avoided getting caught on the wrong side of the course and therefore put forth the most consistent performance.
Skipper Alberto Rossi steered Enfant Terrible to a couple of second place finishes as the Italian contingent took the early overall lead in the four-day regatta, being hosted by Annapolis Yacht Club. America's Cup veteran Vasco Vascotto called tactics for Rossi, who was relieved to escape the unpredictable day with a point advantage over Barking Mad.
Owner-driver Jim Richardson and the Barking Mad crew also had a solid day, winning Race 1 then placing fourth in Race 2 to total five points. Tactician Terry Hutchinson grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and made a couple decisions that worked out well for the boat based out
Action continues Thursday with the early forecasts calling for light and shifty winds. Organizers with Annapolis-based Stagg Yachts, which manages the Farr 40 class, are hoping to complete 10 races by Saturday afternoon.
2013 Farr 40 East Coast Championship (eight entries)
1. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi, Ancona, Italy, 2-2=4 points
2. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson, Newport, RI, 1-4=5
3. Groovederci, John Demourkas, Santa Barbara, CA, 3-3=6
4. Ramrod, Rod Jabin, Annapolis, MD, 8-1=9
5. Plenty, Alex Roepers, New York City, 4-5=9
6. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, Lueneberg, Germany, 5-7=12
7. Nightshift, Kevin McNeil, Annapolis, MD, 7-6=13
8. Asterisk-UNO, Hasip Gencer, Instanbul, Turkey, 6-8=14
Taking Stock
I am trying to fathom the enormous amount of work that ORC has now put into updating their VPP and the services on their website, with its formidable log-in Sailor Services section giving access to a database with some 61,000 measurement records, copies of certificates and the ability to run test certificates at will. Next step will be offering the content in a number of different languages, starting with Italian, Spanish, Croatian, Greek, Portuguese and Brazilian.
There is no doubt that this organisation currently has the most sophisticated tools in place to rate a boat's performance potential and to score its performance. ORC now offers more access to information on competitors' boats and options to optimise your own boat by running test certificates than any other rule in the world. Slowly this is starting to be reflected in the growth in interest in what the ORC has on offer. Even their promotion, at least from the outside, now seems to have moved forward from where the product was expected to sell itself, with active user-oriented promotion of the various dishes on the ORC menu.
The ORC also has a long reputation of chasing its VPP tail at the owners' expense. Their yearly rating tombola is entertaining, but only if you do not own a boat, or design or build them. And 2013 is no exception. Finally the old patchwork VPP, the result of decades of fixing plumbing leaks, has been replaced by a shiny new model. Resulting in major rating changes between different types of boat; possibly for all the right reasons, but leaving little confidence in future rule stability.
Rob Weiland's fuill article in Seahorse:
www.seahorsemagazine.com/current-issue/121-taking-stock
Boat Builders - Immediate Vacancies
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Slow Down You're Going Too Fast
When the holders Oracle revealed their plans for the 34th Cup it was made clear that, as far as the Defenders were concerned, the 162-year-old competition wasn't financially sustainable unless TV was much more involved. To make sailing more appealing to television it should be faster, more exciting and, perhaps, with more thrills and spills. And so it was deemed multihull sailing was the way to go.
Right from the start the idea of close match racing between two yachts - the essence of America's Cup competition - took a back seat while speed, capsizes in the smaller AC45 cats and new TV technology were used in an attempt to convince the public and big business that this was an improvement on monohull competition. The sailing cognoscenti, on balance, were not convinced.
Personally, I felt the heart had been torn out of the America's Cup and at the time I said as much in the pages of Yachting World. I also believe the America's Cup is about wealthy individuals wanting to have a crack at winning it and that it should not be kowtowing to TV. That is what has made it unique and so resilient. -- David Glenn, his full editorial in Yachting World:
www.yachtingworld.com/performance-world/
Idiots Or A**Holes? Tough Call*
Three French yachtsmen took nearly four hours to report a man overboard tragedy.
Guernsey deputy harbourmaster Tony Pattimore said in his career of more than 30 years he had never come across a situation like it - where somebody with the ability to raise the alarm at the time, didn't.
The missing man has been identified as 63-year-old Rene Yves Louis Morvan and his family have been informed of his disappearance via the French authorities.
Mr Morvan went overboard off Pleinmont on Saturday night at around 9pm and the owner and two other crewmembers aboard the yacht Jouvente reported it three-and-three-quarter hours later, after they had moored up at St Peter Port.
He said: 'They threw him a rope and missed. They turned around again and on the second approach one of the waves caught them and turned the bow so that Mr Morvan was carried under the boat.
'They said when he came up he was lying still in the water.
'They made a third attempt and realized they were quite close to the rocks and rather than risk anyone else going in the water they made the decision to leave him.'
The yacht sailed to St Peter Port and the crew used VHF radio to ask if there were any free berths.
The man overboard incident was only mentioned later to marina staff in what Mr Pattimore described as a 'very blase manner.'
Mr Pattimore said: 'They had a working radio and flares on board.
'Where the man overboard occurred, four stations - in Guernsey, Jersey and north Brittany - would have heard any call. But there was nothing.
From Practical Boat Owner (not their headline...) www.pbo.co.uk
* Both, is your humble narrator's well-considered opinion.
Industry News
French sailing yacht builder Amel has signed an agreement with Emek Marin to represent its yachts in Turkey.
Founded in 1968, Amel produces two sailing yacht models - the Amel 55 and Amel 64 - from its base in La Rochelle, France.
Emek Marin has been supplying technical services for Amel yachts on Turkey's Agean and Mediterranean coasts for several years. In addition to offering technical services, the company is now an official dealer of Amel yachts.
IBI News: https://plus.ibinews.com
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An important agreement has recently been reached between the High Performance Yacht Design conference (HPYD), the Innov'Sail conference and the Chesapeake Sailing Yacht Symposium (CSYS).
The inevitable clash of dates has been avoided by agreeing a rolling 3-year cycle with one key conference each year. The proposed dates are:
Innov'Sail: 2013, 2017
HPYD: 2015, 2018
CSYS: 2016, 2019
Because of both CSYS and Innov'Sail being held this year, there will be no conference in 2014.
This agreement should smooth the organisation and make the conferences more enjoyable and of a higher quality for delegates. -- David Le Pelley
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Yacht Solutions and Italthai Marine have signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to create Thailand's first dedicated superyacht facility in Bangkok.
Yacht Solutions at Italthai Marine is being set up in response to the demand for more superyacht refit and repair facilities in the Asian region from both owners of superyachts based in Asia and those travelling from Europe and America.
Located near the mouth of the Chao Phraya River in Samut Prakam and easy to navigate in from the sea - Italthai Marine provides the perfect site. This deep water facility was needed by Yacht Solutions to cater for larger refit and build projects as well as shorter emergency and maintenance projects. Its location, being in the vibrant city of Bangkok and only 45 minutes from Bangkok international airport (the transiting hub of Southeast Asia) is ideal because it is extremely appealing to owners, captains and crew due to the vast range of crew facilities close to hand.
Superyacht Business / IBI News:
www.ibinews.com
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Producers of the Newport (Rhode Island, USA) Charter Yacht Show are pleased to announce that "YachtAid Global" - yachting's humanitarian charity - has been chosen as the non-profit partner for the second consecutive year. A favorite event among brokers, the charter show will take place June 17 - 20th in Newport, Rhode Island at the Newport Yachting Center.
YachtAid Global orchestrates the delivery of humanitarian, development and conservation aid to coastal communities worldwide. The organization was founded in 2006 and is a registered non-profit providing tax benefits to donors. YachtAid Global utilizes a network of volunteers who coordinate logistics with patrons who donate supplies and the yachts that can make deliveries to those in need.
YachtAid Global delivers to schools, medical clinics, cultural centers and other organizations in remote coastal locations which other aid organizations cannot reach.
yachtaidglobal.org/wp/
newportchartershow.com
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The Norwegian Sea Rescue Association (NSRA), Redningsselskapet, has recommended the British made Exposure Marine X2 search light for the professional and recreational marine market, by adding it to their existing range of recommended safety equipment.
The NSRA, Norway's equivalent to the British based RNLI, a voluntary, membership-based organisation that aims to save lives and protect the environment, runs a fleet of high speed rescue craft based at 57 stations along the Norwegian coast. The X2 is to be used and tested throughout the fleet.
The NSRA chose the X2 due to its MOB related features, including a brilliant 700 lumens searchlight, as well as its high-powered SOS and Strobe facility easily visible from over 3 nautical miles.
www.redningsselskapet.no/profflykt
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Owners of the 52 Super Series - Doug DeVos, Alberto Roemmers, and Niklas Zennstrom - are pleased to announce the appointment of Agustín Zulueta Calvo (ESP) as CEO of the 52 SUPER SERIES. Zulueta assumes the role immediately, and will be in Barcelona for the next TP52 event at the Trofeo Conde De Godo, May 23-26, 2013.
Zulueta joins the program with extensive sailing and management experience, directing multiple projects that have achieved notable results. Since 1990, he has been associated with all of the Spanish projects that have competed in the America's Cup including Desafío Español, which reached the semifinals of the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2007. Zulueta is also well known within the TP52 circuit as team manager of the winning Soto 40 team Iberdrola, which competed during the 2011-12 seasons.
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Yachting New Zealand is proud to announce a new partnership with Volvo Cars to support the drive for youth sailing development around the country.
A long term investment, Volvo will sponsor New Zealand's flagship school sailing programme Volvo Sailing... Have a Go! as well as contributing to youth development camps and clinics. Designed to encourage school children to experience the thrills and spills of sailing in a safe and well managed environment, the Volvo Sailing... Have a Go! programme is where some of NZ's future yachting stars have their first sailing experience.
With Auckland now confirmed as a stopover port for the next two Volvo Ocean Races, it is the perfect time to invest in lifting the profile of the sport and celebrate the achievements of youth sailing in New Zealand.
Brad Marsh, bowman on Groupama, the winning yacht of the Volvo Ocean Race 2012, is right behind the partnership. "I have been a direct recipient of vehicle support by Volvo. The vehicles are an exceptional drive and I am delighted to hear that the sailing community throughout the country will be able to benefit from this investment of support as well as favourable member benefits"
Yachting New Zealand members will soon have their chance to be able to access benefits from this relationship making it easier for them to get into their own Volvo.
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The Last Word
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