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Alandia Sailing Team Wins the GKSS Spring Cup
Gothenburg, Sweden: Staffan Lindberg and his Alandia Sailing Team has won an entry to Stena Match Cup Sweden after beating Danish skipper Joachim Aschenbrenner in the final of the GKSS Spring Cup. The Swedish skipper Henrik Eyerman and his crew were the only Swedes to advance from the Round Robin of the event, which gave them the Swedish qualifying ticket to Marstrand.

The GKSS Spring Cup was sailed in perfect conditions at the Royal Gothenburg Yacht Club with sun and 25 knots of wind. The regatta serves as a qualifying event for Stena Match Cup Sweden, the third stage of the Alpari World Match Racing Tour, and several top ranked teams came to battle for a entry ticket to Marstrand. After the line-up of ten teams had boiled down during the Round Robin and Winner's Round three Danish teams and Staffan Lindberg (FIN) were left in the Semifinals. The Finish skipper lost his first match against Nicolai Sehested but came back to outmaneuver his opponent in two straight matches and secure a spot in the final.

There he was put against Joachim Aschenbrenner and his Danish team, the winners of the Winner's Round. Lindberg got off to a good start in the first match, was in control from start to finish in gusty winds, and continued with another victory in the second match - Alandia Sailing Team had won the Spring Cup and the ticket to Marstrand was theirs.

The Swedish skipper Henrik Eyermann and his team was the big surprise of the weekend as they grabbed the Swedish qualifying spot. Eyermann, 156 on the ISAF match racing ranking, was the only Swedish skipper to advance from the Round Robin.

The 51 year old Eyermann has never competed in a World Tour event before but he has a strong record as a sailor, with a 4th place in the 1984 Olympics in the Star Class together with Kent Carlsson.

www.stenamatchcupsweden.com
wmrt.com

A Grand Start For A Tough Route
In a few days, the 42 skippers competing in the 44th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro - Eric Bompard cachemire will line up at the port de la Lune in Bordeaux, from where on June 2nd they will start this year's battle. The focus is on a brand new route.

It's the first time that the race will visit the Aquitaine capital, Bordeaux. For ten days the fleet will liven up de la Lune, one of Unesco's world heritage sites, further contributing to its maritime tradition celebrated by the popular Fête du Fleuve, the River Festival. The week before the start in Bordeaux is set to be exceptional.

The first legwill take the fleet to Porto, in Portugal. After the start signal is fired in Pauillac on June 2nd, the skippers will have to sail more than 20 miles on the Gironde, the largest river estuary in Europe. They will have to tack among sand banks and cope with the strong currents on a most unusual race course set among the beautiful scenery of the region's vineyards, before getting to the spectacular Cordouan lighthouse, that will mark the entrance to the Atlantic. Once across the Bay of Biscay, the skippers will round Cap Finisterre and will head South, sailing along the Spanish coast. For the fist time in its 44 years' long history the race will visit Porto and the fleet will be moored at the Marina de Douro on the river south bank. This 536 miles long leg, that some describe as the "toughest of the race" will be the baptism of fire for the skippers who will have a total of 1.938 miles to cover, on a route that will leave them no room for respite.

The race schedule:


May 25th to 31st: time runs on the river Gironde

June 1st: Prologue Bordeaux - Pauillac - Eric Bompard cachemire



Stage 1 - Bordeaux/Porto (Portugal): 536 miles
Start: June 2nd at 13:00 (start line in Pauillac)
ETA: June 5th

Stage 2 - Porto/Gijon (Spain): 452 miles
Start: June 8th at 12:00
ETA: June 11th

Stage 3 - Gijon/Roscoff: 436 miles
Start: June 13th at 12:00
ETA: June 16th

Stage 4 - Roscoff/Dieppe: 514 miles
Start: June 20th at 13:00
ETA: June 23rd

www.lasolitaire.com

Official Clothing Partner Henri Lloyd Announces Exciting Plans For The J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round The Island Race Weekend
Marine clothing brand Henri Lloyd is the Official Clothing Partner to the Race for the third consecutive year, and to celebrate our partnership and commitment to the race, we have bestowed the Henri Lloyd Challenge Trophy to the Island Sailing Club. It will be awarded to the line honours boat within the ISCRS Class, the winning boat will also receive £400 worth of Henri Lloyd vouchers.

Henri Lloyd shall also be selling a commemorative clothing range featuring the official race logo exclusively on the Henri Lloyd stand within the official race village and at our High Street Store. The range includes the Henri Lloyd Breaker Jacket & Vest, Classic Rugby Shirt, Fast-Dri Polo and Fast-Dri Cap.

Henri Lloyd Ambassador Sir Ben Ainslie CBE, will be competing in the race onboard his AC45 - J.P.Morgan BAR and will be visiting the Henri Lloyd stand within the race village on Saturday at 5pm, to meet race competitors and sign autographs.

www.henrilloyd.com

Time and Tide
After last year's extremely windy Myth of Malham Race, this year's edition provided a far more tactical race for the 120 yachts competing in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's 230-mile race around the Eddystone Lighthouse.

Staying in the breeze and calculating the best route for tides made all the difference. The wind conditions ranged from zephyrs during the first night to 25 knot gusts on the last day of racing. Most of the fleet used the full complement of their sail wardrobe and, as many crews were exploiting the race route as a Rolex Fastnet qualifier, the Myth of Malham Race was a fine test of man and machine.

Edward Broadway's Ker 40, Hooligan VII, was declared overall winner of the RORC Myth of Malham Race after time correction under IRC. Broadway has been a member of the Royal Ocean Racing Club for over 20 years but only started campaigning his Ker 40 this year.

Hooligan VII was also the winner of IRC One for the Myth of Malham, Andrew Pearce's Ker 40, Magnum 3, was second by less than 15 minutes and Piet Vroon's Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, was third in class but still retains the overall lead of the RORC Season's Points Championship, albeit by just 2.4 points.

With 31 yachts IRC Two was the largest class in the race. RORC Admiral Andrew McIrvine's First 40, La Reponse, took line honours for the class but after time correction missed out on a podium place by less than two minutes. Patrick Ponchelet's French X40, Exception sailed a stunning leg back from Eddystone to over take two British First 40.7s to win the class. Ifan James' Cheeki Rafiki was second by just over 19 minutes on corrected time, whilst Peter Newlands' Anticipation took third.

Benoit D'Halluin's A35, Dunkerque Plaisance, took line honours in IRC Three and the class win on corrected time.

Richard Palmer's J/109, Jangada Too, was second in IRC Two and won the highly competitive Two-Handed Class.

The Class40 division produced a photo-finish: after 230 miles of racing Yvon Berrehar and Stephan Theissing racing Al Bucq were just 32 seconds ahead of Emma Creighton and Dan Dytch's Momentum Ocean Racing.

In IRC Four this was the first RORC race of the season for Jean Yves Chateau's Nicholson 33, Iromiguy, and the French crew won class ahead of Christophe Affolter's French Sigma 33, 4 Deci. Noel Racine's JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew, was third. The podium finish was just enough to put Foggy Dew at the top of the leader board in IRC Four for the RORC Season's Points Championship.

The Championship continues on Friday 14th June with the De Guingand Bowl Race from Cowes to Guernsey. -- Louay Habib

www.rorc.org

IFDS Blind Worlds
Seabornia Yacht Club, Miura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan: Another fine day for GBR on the race course although the promised repeat of conditions was sadly absent. A postponement greated the fleet on the race course whilst the light air settled in direction.

Three races in generally soft conditions which ultimately built to a maximum 8 knots by the final race enabled GBR Sharon Grennan B1 helm to pass the overnight leader Japan A and open a two point gap; Japan B lay a further 6 points behind in 3rd.

Lucy Hodges continued to dominate the B2 fleet with an almost perfect score of 4  points for the day. She now has a healthy seven point advantage over New Zealand after discard, with Japan A a further 4 points behind.

The B3 fleet is lead by the impressive New Zealand team followed by GBR's Liam Cattermole who's team successful won a request for redress in the final race due to boat damage. They currently lie 8.8 points behind after being rewarded average points for race 7, Japan A are currently lying 4.2 points behind.

The overall team trophy position is also looking good to team GBR, the current scores following discards are:

GBR - 33.8
New Zealand - 43
Japan A - 51

Tomorrow is a lay day and racing will continue on Wednesday with the promise of more wind which should suit GBR.

www.2013worldblindsailingjp.com/home/

Videos of the first few days.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmfOEWxraus
www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6OHY6FEGAw

Rules Lift ETNZ
America's Cup challenger Artemis may be at a huge disadvantage, even if they get to the start line of the Louis Vuitton regatta.

There are still rumblings in America's Cup circles that Artemis will not compete after the tragic death of Andrew Simpson in that fateful capsize in San Francisco Bay.

Some say that team management is keen to continue; the sailing crew less so. Another rumour is they will compete - but will not sail if the wind rises above 20 knots.

That alone is a disadvantage. They will lose points if racing is on but they choose not to compete, for whatever reason.

However, Artemis's potential problems run deeper than that.

Their new boat isn't ready and there have been reports it needed repairs after arriving from Sweden.

Its giant wingsail was destroyed in the capsize and the new one is nowhere near ready.

There is only six weeks to go before the start of the Louis Vuitton.

That is not long to sail a new boat and learn to foil (their previous boat was of the non-foiling variety), get to grips with a new wingsail and re-stoke their confidence. Artemis's second boat has not yet been seen but is understood to have the same hull shape and beam structure as the one which capsized.

That means the new boat could still dip at the bows as it bears away - thought to be a big part of the design problem affecting Artemis (and Oracle's first boat) previously. That could make it even harder to mount a meaningful challenge.

If Artemis withdraw or take a more limited part then the Louis Vuitton contest to find the challenger to take on Oracle in the Cup match will be between Emirates Team NZ and Italy's Luna Rossa.

That comfort level - and the fact the recent safety recommendations do not represent a big threat to ETNZ's challenge - could be part of the reason for the team's surprisingly relaxed welcome to the review. -- Paul Lewis, New Zealand Herald

www.nzherald.co.nz

Tour Voile Fleet Unveiled
The beginning of the M34 season augured of the fights to come. Newcomers Franck Cammas and Thomas Coville skillfully faced their competitors. Veteran Daniel Souben was the only one to match Cammas, recent winner of the Volvo Ocean Race, and Thomas Coville, skipper of the Sodebo maxi-trimaran. 35 days before the Tour de France a la Voile, it's only logical for the three sailors to lead the Spring Championship, which will finish in a few days with the Normandy Sailing Week.

Once Le Havre's race is over, Cammas, Coville and Souben will head to the Tour de France a la Voile, a major event in the M34 circuit. There will be 13 one-design boats to race along the French coast, where high-level and amateur teams will sail altogether. But who will take the title of Fabien Henry and TPM Coych, who won in July 2012 for the third time? Groupama 34, Courrier Dunkerque 3 or Sodebo are the obvious favourites, but they will still face serious competition with Nicolas Troussel (Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite) and Omansail skippered by Cedric Pouligny.

Last year's winner TPM Coych has changed entirely, with the project now managed by the youngsters of the club. French Sailing Team Laser athlete Jean-Baptiste Bernaz will lead with two other helmsmen, Mathieu Frei (French Sailing Team, 49er) and Cedric Boeri (COYCH). Alexis Littoz and Pierre Brasseur will bring navigation experience to the offshore legs.

On the amateur side, Team 85 is made up of youngsters from Vendee. Skipper Pierre Casaux took part in the Tour several times with Mady Fobert's Belgium team (a feature of the race since 1993).

Normandy, another region close to the Tour de France a la Voile, will also have an entry at the start in Dunkirk. 23-year-old Baptiste Choquenet will once again lead this youth project. Last year Mathieu Mourès led a Martinique team and he returns this year to sail under his island's colors and... the Belgian colors too, joining forces with Mady Fobert on a boat named Martinique BE Brussels.

Finally, two foreign teams are entering the amateur competition. The faithful Swiss team, Bienne Voile, is back once again. Sönke Brunhs and Christiane Dittmers' German team, Iskareen, has been training in Kiel and will begin the season at Normandy Sailing Week.

www.tourvoile.fr

BC Live App On Your Mobile Devices
Be the first one to learn the champion of American Express Bosphorus Cup 2013 sailing regatta with BC Live mobile app!

You can track the American Express Bosphorus Cup 2013 with Lİve Score System, see the winners immediately and reach all the information regarding Bosphorus Cup.

Available on iPhone, iPad and iPods, BC Live is at Appstore! Click to download: bit.ly/WDUzZ7

* Less than a week away before the most prestigious sailing event in Turkey, the Bosphorus Cup 2013. From 30th of May until the 2nd of June more than 40 teams will take part in this unique race that combines inshore races with the not to miss coastal race at the straits of Bosphorus offering a great spectacle and experience to both sailors and spectators.

The promo video of the Bosphorus Cup 2013 can be found here: youtu.be/GB9rKBf3OaY

www.bosphoruscup.org/en/

Teamvodafone On Tight Repair Schedule
Following a dismasting in March, TeamVodafoneSailing is back and almost ready to roll into the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron's Auckland to Musket Cove, Fiji Race starting this Saturday.

The boat is back in the water, but waiting on another stay before it can hoist sails.

"We won't miss the sprint to warmer climes if we can at all help at - arriving at Musket Cove is always a great experience," says Skipper Simon Hull. "We will only have a few days to shake her down, but we will be there Saturday for the race start."

With the help of Southern Spars, the rig has been modified to overcome the weakness that caused the failure, and the PBO stays have been replaced with EC6 Carbon rigging.

Atom Ant has withdrawn from the event, and the remaining starters are Outrageous Fortune, Wild Card, Equilibrium, V5, Venture 2, Squealer, and Vision (cruising rally).

A large high north of New Zealand is expected to make for a long slow race, and more information including PredictWind weather routing and predicted finishing times, will be issued soon.

The 1,150 mile marathon starts off Westhaven Marina in Auckland at midday on Saturday 1 June, and finishes at the resort of Musket Cove in Fiji. The race is supported by Manson Anchors, PredictWind.com, and TNL GAC Pindar, and all boats will carry a Yellowbrick Tracker with them on the race course, so that you can see where they are up to at any time by visiting www.rnzys.org.nz -- Zoe Hawkins

For TeamVodafone tracker and Facebook updates, visit www.teamvodafonesailing.co.nz

Dragon Edinburgh Cup
Weymouth, UK: With over 20 entries already registered including teams from Germany, Japan, and the USA, the 2013 Edinburgh Cup for the Dragon British Open Championship, being hosted by the Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy (WPNSA) from 25 to 28 June 2013, is already shaping up to be an outstanding event. The Edinburgh Cup will be preceded by the Dragon South Coast Championship from 23-24 June, with racing for both events taking place on Weymouth Bay, scene of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic regattas. The Edinburgh Cup and South Coast Championship will both be supported by Aberdeen Asset Management.

The Edinburgh Cup, presented to the British Dragon Association by HRH The Duke Of Edinburgh in 1949, is one of yachting's most historic and prestigious trophies. Rivalry at this year's edition of the event will be heightened as Weymouth will also host the 2013 Dragon World Championship from 5-13 September, and many teams will use the South Coast Championship and Edinburgh Cup as a warm up opportunity for that event.

Amongst those who have already confirmed their entries is defending Edinburgh Cup Champion Simon Brien from Belfast. Last year Simon and his team aboard Kin achieved the double of winning both the overall and Corinthian (all amateur) trophies in their home waters and they are keen to reprise this success in Weymouth.

Heading up the challengers are sailing legends Lawrie Smith and Poul Richard Hoj-Jensen.

The Notices of Race, online Entry and further information for both the Edinburgh Cup and South Coast Championship are available from the event website. The initial entry closing date is Saturday 1 June, after which late entries will be subject to an entry fee surcharge.

www.britishdragons.org

Featured Brokerage
2008 Dufour 365 Grand Large. EUR 97,000. Located in Crosshaven, Cork, Ireland.

This Dufour 365 Grand'Large is in very good condition. She is the twin aft cabin version and comes with an excellent inventory including a fully battened mainsail, Furling Genoa, hot water, shore power and more. She has the added advantage of a 2010 Volvo 29HP diesel engine. "St. Jude" has had light use from new. Excellent value!

Brokerage through Crosshaven Boatyard: www.yachtworld.com/crosshavenboatyard/

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

Back On Thursday
Your humble narrator will be travelling Tuesday and Wednesday... no Wednesday issue this week, back for the Thursday issue.

The Last Word
One of the great things about the universe is that it's fair. -- Alan Bean

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