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By Wednesday Perhaps?
Left to right: John Doerr, Graham McKenzie, Josje Hofland, David Tillett, Bryan Willis. Photo by ACEA / Gilles Martin-Raget. Click on image to enlarge.

The International Jury will hear applications from Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge beginning on Monday morning.

The two cases have been consolidated and will heard together with parties being given the opportunity to speak to their submissions.

International Jury chairman David Tillett says the hearing will last as long as is necessary to hear the evidence.

"We'd like to have a decision on Wednesday," he said.

Both Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa are arguing Regatta Director Iain Murray exceeded his authority when some of his 37 Safety Rules effectively changed the AC72 Class Rule.

The Regatta Director argues the changes are necessary to run a safe regatta and are in line with the Rules of the event.

Full bios of the International Jury are available here (PDF):
noticeboard.americascup.com

americascup.com

We Came To Race
Paul Cayard's letter in full:

The 34th America's Cup is about to get under way in San Francisco. At Artemis Racing, we have had our heads down, working hard to finish a new boat and wing in order to get back out on the water and compete in this event that we have worked hard on for three years.

In general, when you are as busy as we are, you don't have time to get involved in media and spin. However, some of what is being said is erroneous, insulting, and downright disrespectful. I need to stand up for my team and state some facts.

On May 22, Iain Murray, Regatta Director for the 34th America's Cup, issued 37 Safety Recommendations. These are the product of interviews of 25 personnel from all four teams, which were conducted by a panel that included just one member associated with a team: Jim Farmer of Emirates Team New Zealand (ETNZ).

The first person to commend the Safety Recommendations was Grant Dalton, CEO of ETNZ. He publicly congratulated Murray for his work and said "you won't get any push back from ETNZ on this".

Now, five weeks later, Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa (LR) have lodged protests over two of the 37 recommendations and seek for these two Safety Recommendations to be eliminated. The two rules are permissive rules. They work hand in hand with other rules, which place new requirements on the size of the elevators. The inclusion of these rules excludes no one. Yet, excluding these rules, and keeping the other 35, will exclude Artemis Racing.

So I ask, who is trying to force whom out of the 34th America's Cup?

These rules are not about one team. They are about bringing safety to the fleet and the event. The Regatta Director and his panel conducted a thorough and unbiased analysis, and were inclusive in the recommendations and rule changes. There are accusations being cast about that the Regatta Director's Safety Recommendations are a conspiracy to promote Oracle or Artemis Racing. These are slanderous and paranoid. Iain Murray is a man of the highest integrity and everyone in the sport knows that.

In making the Safety Recommendations at this late stage, Murray needed to make sure all teams could comply with his rule changes. The AC72's in the fleet are not identical. They are not one design like the AC45's. So some of the rules, such as minimum draft and the area of the elevators, are requirements. Other rules, like the two in question by ETNZ and LR, are there to create room for teams to comply with the requirements at this late stage of the game. Artemis Racing doesn't like all the Safety Recommendations, but we recognize that many of the recommendations work together. Therefore, we have said that we support the entirety of the recommendations. On May 24, in good faith, Artemis Racing began modifications on one set of its rudders and elevators to comply with the Safety Recommendations. These are long lead-time projects. So now Artemis Racing has two sets rudder elevators: one that complies with the Safety Recommendations in their entirety, and one that complies with the rules as they were before the Safety Recommendations were issued. Artemis Racing cannot comply with the third case, which ETNZ and LR are now trying to force on the competition.

The fact is that if ETNZ and LR get what they want, Artemis Racing will be excluded from competition. The two teams took a similar path to exclude Artemis Racing three weeks ago when they proposed a schedule change that would have started eliminatory racing on July 19, rather than the previously scheduled August 6. They tried to camouflage this move by saying that they were helping Artemis Racing by delaying the start of the Louis Vuitton Cup. It was quite the opposite.

Finally, contrary to what has been said in various sailing media, there never has been a ban on elevators on rudders in the AC72 Class Rule. All AC72's have rudder elevators because the Class Rule allows them. And ETNZ wasn't the first to figure out how to foil without elevators. No AC72 has ever foiled without them.

For Artemis Racing, our priority is safety and our goal is to race. Our challenges have been great enough to overcome on their own. We look forward to being out there soon!

Marlow Ropes On Board 6 Of The 8 Tp 52s In The Latest Round Of The Tp52 Superseries
At the recent TP52 Super Series regatta in Ibiza, 6 of the 8 boat fleet were rigged with Marlow Grand Prix Series running rigging. Grand Prix Riggers TT Rigging, UK and Trabajos en Cabos, Palma supply Quantum Racing, Gladiator, Azzura, Ran Racing, Interlodge and Rio. Marlow supplied boats made up the top 4 positions in the event. Long term relationships with these boats and riggers has been a driving force in the development of Marlow's Grand Prix Series.

With the fleet so competitive attention to every detail on board wins races. Marlow invest a lot of experience and time into understanding the ropes application before manufacturing the custom rope. Using the very latest fibres from Dyneema®, cores can be manufactured to exact diameter, length and strength requirements. Likewise covers can be blended in many different material ratios to aid durability, grip, heat resistance and winch easing properties where required.

It's easy to see just by looking at pictures of the TP52 fleet that the highly tuned boats and crews demand perfection, which Marlow supplies.

marlowropes.com

Transpac
San Pedro, California, USA: Today perfect Southern California conditions greeted the 14 entries in the first of three starts of the 2013 Transpacifc Yacht Race from Los Angeles to Honolulu, or the Transpac. The skippers and crews on these offshore yachts enjoyed sunny skies and 15 knots of westerly breeze to launch them off the starting line at Point Fermin and off on a fast track towards Hawaii. This perfect breeze is projected to hold for the rest of the day and even increase into the night as the boats this afternoon get around their only obstacle in the 2225-mile course, the West End of Catalina Island.

The six boats racing in Division 7 and 8 boats racing in Division 8 are a diverse group, ranging in size from 34 to 66 feet, and in age from 1930 to near-new. There are Transpac newcomers on the crews, as well as seasoned professionals, with all now taking their last looks at dry land for the next 10-14 days of adventure that lie ahead.

The two oldest boats in the fleet, Matt Brooks's classic 1930 S&S 52-foot yawl Dorade and the Bell Family's 1962 Lapworth 50 Westward, did not let age limit their competitiveness, as they were seen sparring at the start to gain better position on the first upwind leg to the West End.

And one entry - Hiroshi Kitada's X-41 KIHO - got a little too anxious to get started, and were called over early by the Race Committee and had to re-start.

Otherwise, all is well so far with this fleet, who have been instructed to send emails to race organizers once at the West End to ensure that all on board are in good shape for the next long, landless leg that lie ahead.

The Yellowbrick trackers on board each entry are operating and reporting position data available for viewing, but with a 6 hour delay so as not to give any team a tactical advantage. Once the teams reach within 100 miles of the finish, race organizers will turn off this delay so a more accurate ETA can be determined at the finish. -- Dobbs Davis

www.transpacyc.com

Anders Pedersen Leads After Day One at Finn Silver Cup
Click on image for photo gallery.

A beautiful breeze welcomed the sailors at Fraglia Vela Malcesine for two early morning races on Monday 8 July for the second day of the Finn Silver Cup. Eager to start their World Championship, after Sunday's racing was cancelled, the young Finn sailors were on the water and ready at 7.30am.

The northerly breeze had reached 14 knots when the start of the first race was given at 8am. The course and the building wind was favouring the left side of the lake with a clear start at the crowded pin end.

With racing cancelled on Sunday, the first day of the regatta, through lack of wind, a third race was planned in the afternoon. But playing catch up wasn't easy and the capricious southerly breeze came at 1pm and disappeared as quickly. After waiting on the water the sailors came back to the club but the wind never stabilised on the lake, so it will be another early start at 8am on Tuesday. -- Corinne McKenzie

Top five results after two races
1. Anders Pedersen, NOR, 3 points
2. Jorge Zarif, BRA, 5
3. Jake Lilley, AUS, 5
4. Arkadiy Kistanov, RUS, 7
5. Peter McCory, GBR, 10

Full results:
www.fragliavela.org

Tour Voile: All You Need Is Downwind Sailing
After an in-port race and a pro-am sail off Deauville's beachfront, all 12 teams returned to the dock to rest and prepare for tomorrow's offshore leg to Brest.

Thomas Coville and his men are feeling confident after finishing the morning's race ahead of Groupama 34 and Courrier Dunkerque 3; the other teams are looking forward to sailing a 245 mile-long leg in dream conditions.

The fourth offshore leg of the TFV 2013 is also the longest in the history of a race, created in 1978. Routing software are predicting a 25-hour downwind sail that will be scored with a factor of 5.

The fleet will first reach Barfleur and sail along the Cotentin coast in 15-20 knots of wind from the NW.

"Current is favourable until Guernsey," said Jeremie Beyou, joining Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite. "It will be a gybing game after La Hague and then the wind will drop off at Brittany's north coast. We are going to be against the current in the Four (western part of Brittany). We will play with the rocks along the coast or in Ouessant and Molene before sailing upwind to the finish line in Brest."

Sailing celebrities joined the race in Deauville to reinforce the existing teams: Beyou with Bretagne, Gildas Mahe with Nantes St Nazaire E. Leclerc, Bertrand Pace with Normandie, Charles Caudrelier with Groupama 3.

Because this is a key leg for the overall ranking. Groupama 34 will protect their 37-point lead on Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite, and Courrier Dunkerque is anxious to secure their third place. Normandie hope to maintain the amateur lead ahead of the German team Iskareen.

Estimated time of arrival: 11:30am in Brest on Wednesday morning.

Top ten overall provisional rankings after 13 races:

1. Groupama 34, Cammas Franck, 467 points - Blue Spinnaker
2. Bretagne Credit Mutuel Elite, Troussel Nicolas, 430
3. Courrier Dunkerque 3, Souben Daniel, 422
4. Team Omansail, Pouligny Cedric, 418
5. Sodebo, Coville Thomas, 399.5
6. Ville De Geneve - Carrefour Addictions, Mettraux Elodie-Jane Et Groux Nicolas, 372
7. Toulon Provence Mediterranee - Coych, Bernaz Jean-Baptiste, 362
8. Nantes - Saint Nazaire - E.Leclerc, Douguet Corentin, 357
9. Normandie, Choquenet Baptiste, 323
10. Iskareen, Dittmers Christiane Et Bruhns Sonke, 320

www.tourvoile.fr

RORC National Champions Decided
Race 6 provided the final twist in the Royal Ocean Racing Club's IRC National Championship. There was a tense end to a fascinating encounter for 54 yachts from seven different countries competing at the regatta. All classes got away off Gillkicker Point but a substantial shift in the light breeze was too much to provide fair racing and the race was abandoned shortly after the start.

Several yachts will have been frustrated by the decision, especially Anthony O'Leary's Ker 39, Antix, Tim Thubron's First 40.7, Puma Logic, and Adam Goslings, Corby 36, Yes!. However the wind shift was more than 50 degrees and ending the championship in that manner would have been unfair.

At 1200 the Race Committee put an end to racing for the RORC IRC National Championship and as the gun sounded a big cheer went up from Andrew Pearce's British Ker 40, Magnum 3, which won a highly competitive Class One. Andrew Pearce and his crew were all smiles at the prizegiving especially as Magnum 3 was also crowned Overall RORC IRC National Champion 2013.

Piet Vroon's Dutch Ker 46, Tonnerre de Breskens, was second in IRC One and received the Jackdaw Trophy for second overall under IRC. Magnus Leask's British Swan 42, Magical Mystery Tour, was third in class.

The battle of the British TP52s went to Johnny Vincent's Pace scoring four wins out of five against Sir Keith Mills' 5 West.

The French flag was proudly flying from Olivier Pesci's Grand Soleil 40, Beelzebuth 3, after winning IRC Two. Former RORC Commodore Peter Rutter racing British Grand Soleil 43, Trustmarque Quokka, was second and Adam Gosling's Cowes based Corby 36, Yes!, was third.

James Chalmers' Weymouth crew on board J/35, Bengal Magic, scored the lowest net points of any yacht at the regatta and was crowned IRC National Champion for IRC Three. Last year's overall winner David Franks' JPK10.10, Strait Dealer from Cowes, was second in class just half a point ahead of Peter Morton's Lymington based Corby 33, Salvo.

National Champion in IRC Four was awarded to Nick and Adam Munday racing J/97, Induljence, who won three of the five races sailed. Richard Sparrow's J/92, Who's to No and Michael Kershaw's Half Tonner, Chimp, tied on points but second place was awarded to Who's to No on countback. -- Louay Habib

rorc.org

RORC IRC Yearbook Cover Competition
In a departure from previous years, the RORC Rating Office is launching an international competition on 15th July to select the photograph that will grace the front cover of the 2014 edition of the RORC IRC Yearbook, published by Yachting World.

Entry to the 2014 Yearbook Competition is restricted to two submissions per person to be submitted by 30th August 2013 and a shortlisted selection will then be judged by Yachting World's Racing & Technical Editor Matthew Sheahan, RORC's Technical Director Mike Urwin, award-winning photographer Ian Roman and the marine leisure PR consultant Peta Stuart-Hunt.

What will the judges be looking for?

The front cover photograph is carefully chosen by the editors to represent IRC's main constituency of racer/cruisers, rather than the 'latest and greatest' high tech racing boats. The judges will be looking for an exciting image that reflects the club racing ethos of IRC rating. This may be round-the-mark action from one of your local club weekend races, a fleet shot from a weekday 'twilight' race, or perhaps a lucky catch from one of the offshore classics.

They will not be looking for the 'glamour shot' of a exotic racing boat so much as something that encompasses everything IRC stands for - competitive racing for all.

The winner will be notified by 30th September 2013 and will receive a Certificate, and have their photograph featured on the cover of the 2014 RORC IRC Yearbook, with appropriate credit as agreed with the winner. There is no monetary prize.

The all-important rules are published here: tinyurl.com/irc-cover-comp-rules

Grand Dames Of Classic Yachting Highlight Tiedemann Regatta
Photo by NYYC / Stuart Steuli. Click on image to enlarge.

Newport, Rhode Island, USA: Newport and Narragansett Bay rolled out perfect sailing conditions for the fourth biennial Robert H. Tiedemann Classic Yachting Weekend, hosted by the New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court station. This year's regatta was highlighted by the presence of two boats celebrating centennial anniversaries, the NY-50 Spartan and the Starling Burgess design Chips.

"I would say there are less than a dozen 100-year-old boats active in North America," said event chairman Bill Doyle. "To have Spartan join us for this regatta, on her 100th anniversary, is remarkable, and a testament to dedication of the owners and the allure of classic yacht racing, which continues to prosper with the support of the New York Yacht Club."

The NY-50 class is one of eight one-design classes commissioned by members of the New York Yacht Club. The club's legacy of promoting one-design racing started with the NY-30s in 1905 and continues today with the very active Swan 42 class, which is the result of a partnership between the Club and the famous Scandinavian yacht manufacturer.

Chips was restored by Adrian Pearsall in 1986 and has been racing actively since. Jed Pearsall, Adrian's son, skippered the 50-footer over the weekend.

The regatta was started by classic yacht enthusiast Don Glassie in the early 1980s.

BobTiedemann, who owned two classic 12-Metres, Gleam and Northern Light, was a regular sight at this regatta and other classic yachting events. He passed away in May 2006 and the regatta was renamed in his honor in 2007. -- Stuart Streuli

nyyc.org

For The Record
The WSSR Council announces the establishment of a new World Record.

Record: Singlehanded Transatlantic
Yacht: "IDEC" 118ft Tri
Name: Francis Joyon. FRA
Dates:. 11th to the 16th June 2013
Start time: 09;15;20 UTC on 11/06/13
Finish time: 12;11;30 UTC on 16/06/13
Elapsed time: 5 days 2 hours 56 minutes and 10 seconds
Distance: 2880M
Average speed: 23.41 kts
Comments: Previous Record: "Sodebo". Thomas Coville, FRA. Jul 08. 5d 19h 30m 40s

John Reed
Secretary to the WSSR Council

Champagne Sailing on EFG International Race Day
Photo by Panerai / Guido Cantini, www.seasee.com. Click on image to enlarge.

With glorious hot sunshine and 6-10 knots from the east-north-east, competitors in EFG International Race Day at Panerai British Classic Week enjoyed champagne sailing for their first race of the regatta. After yesterday's light airs frustration the teams were delighted to get afloat and race. Race Officer Tony Lovell set his courses in the Eastern Solent giving the crews plenty of challenges as they balanced finding the best wind with keeping out of the tide.

Although conditions were generally quite sedate there were none the less a few dramas on the racecourse. Cuilaun, Brian Smullen's McGruer ketch, and Infanta, John Hall's Philip Rhodes designed bermudan yawl, found themselves engaged in a minor incident at a mark rounding when Cuilaun briefly ran out of wind and ended up stationery on the tide in the approach to the mark. Unfortunately Infanta was hard on her heels and had no way of avoiding them. Fortunately the contact was minor and, in the true Corinthian spirit of the regatta, they reached a gentleman's agreement on the necessary repairs back in the bar.

The other highly entertaining drama was to be found aboard Gulvain, whose crew of Brits, Frenchmen and an Aussie clearly had something of a language barrier. Chris Mannion only purchased the boat, a Laurent Giles ocean racer, this year and pulled his crew together somewhat last minute, combing several of the previous owner's French crew, some British friends and Neil Cusworth from Geelong in Australia. After racing Neil explained. "We've had a fantastic day. Half the crew can speak English and half French and we'd never sailed together before. They were yelling at us in French and we were yelling back at them in English with none of us understanding the other. But despite it all we figured things out and sailed really well."

The fastest boat of the day went to Jonathan and Scilla Dyke's Cereste, a Shoreham Ten Tonner designed by Robert Clarke, who completed the course in an elapsed time of 2.28.20 and won Class Four by 2 minutes 17 seconds.

Tomorrow's weather forecast promises more steady breezes from the north east of around 8-12 knots. Two races are scheduled for the Racing Divisions and there will be a cruise in company for the Rally Division, which comprises yachts who love to take part in the regatta but elect not to race. After sailing there will be an "Open Yachts" Pontoon Party where the sailors are invited to visit each other's yachts whilst enjoying live music and later, a hog roast. The regatta continues until Saturday 13 July with racing every day until Friday and a Parade of Sail past the Royal Yacht Squadron to conclude the regatta on Saturday.

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The Last Word
As soon as you get on this boat, you're on, and it doesn't stop until you get back to the dock. That's quite different to most boats. You just cannot let your focus wander. If you do, it will come back and get you. Especially for the guys in the other positions. It's just relentless physically. Our races are 30 to 40 minutes. We don't get halftime, we don't get timeouts. It's a sprint. It's max heart rate the whole time. We don't get outside assistance, we don't talk to our pit teams. It's a full on battle for 30 to 40 minutes. There's not many other sports where you just go nonstop like that. There's no referees who say, 'Stop.' -- Jimmy Spithill, ORACLE TEAM USA Skipper

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