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Latest News Links Offshore - Frantic finish at Quantum Key West 2012 . . . Offshore - Global Ocean Race victory for GBR/NZL pair . . . Offshore - Loki is handicap winner of 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race . . . Offshore - Investec Loyal declared winner of 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Offshore - Protest posted against Sydney Hobart Race winner . . . Offshore - Investec Loyal takes the Sydney Hobart race . . . Offshore - Banque Populaire still on record schedule . . . Offshore - Colman and Goodchild set new GOR 24-hour record . . . Offshore - Hugo Boss sole GBR entry for 67th Sydney Hobart . . . Offshore - Victory for Francois Gabart in the Transat B to B . . . Offshore - MedCup sailing circuit hit by Euro crisis . . . Offshore - Garmin Hamble Winter Series finally lives up to its name . . . Back to latest Sailing News reports here . . . Frantic finish at Quantum Key West 2012 . . . Numbers may be half of what they were, but a stellar list of domestic and international sailors are competing aboard 112 boats at the Key West 2012 sailing regatta that finished on Friday off the Florida Keys. It was a frantic finish at Quantum Key West 2012 as several boats snatched victory with strong performances on the fifth and final day. Barking Mad pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in the 25-year history of the regatta, winning the Farr 40 class despite suffering a dreaded DNF. Barking Mad, skippered by Jim Richardson of Newport, R.I., did not finish Race 2 after a scary man overboard incident. That type of result usually proves fatal in a no-throwout series, but the Barking Mad team kept plugging away — winning three of the final five races to pull out an improbable one-point victory. Skipper John Kilroy and the Samba Pa Ti team held off a stiff challenge from Pisces to capture the talent-laden Melges 32 class. Samba Pa Ti was selected as Quantum Boat of the Week for winning the closest, most competitive class at the 25th anniversary regatta. The 52-foot class was expected to be a bare knuckle brawl with all eight entries filled with fully professional crews. There were two brand new designs in the fleet with Highland Fling XII (Reichel-Pugh) and Interlodge (Botin Partners) both tricked out for the IRC rule. However, it was an older design still configured to the TP52 rule that stole the show as Quantum Racing finished first or second in all 10 races and defeated runner-up Powerplay (Peter Cunningham, Cayman Islands) by a whopping 18 ½ points. Full story at http://www.premiere-racing.com/KW12_releases.htm Global Ocean Race victory for GBR/NZL pair . . . The youngest team in the double-handed, Class40 Global Ocean Race (GOR), 28 year-old Kiwi, Conrad Colman and his 22 year-old, British co-skipper, Sam Goodchild, crossed the GOR’s Leg 2 finish line in Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, in first place on their Akilaria RC2 Class40, Cessna Citation after 30 days 22 hours 20 minutes and 40 seconds, netting the maximum of 30 points for Leg 2.  Cessna Citation barrelled through the 2km-wide entrance to Wellington Harbour between Pencarrow Head and the Miramar Peninsular in torrential rain and grey, rolling waves as daylight faded fast. Colman and Goodchild left the partially exposed Barrett Reef to port and crossed the GOR Leg 2 finish line off Worser Bay on the harbour’s western shore taking victory in Leg 2 at 08:20:40 GMT (21:20:40 local) on Friday 30 December.  One of the really remarkable features of Colman and Goodchild’s partnership is their recent acquaintance: “We met each other a few days before the start of the race and pretty much shook hands on the start line,” explains Colman. “We did a lot of things on the fly, but we shared all the responsibilities and it worked really well.” Sam Goodchild agrees: “We come from two different sailing backgrounds with myself in the Figaro Class and Conrad in the Mini 6.50s and it just worked out well,” he says. “I never, ever expected that we’d win and it’s a massive bonus.” Ross and Campbell Field in second place on BSL will encounter the full-force of the Cook Strait gale overnight. In the 11:00 GMT position poll, the New Zealand father-and-son duo are 126 miles from the finish line and 12 miles from Cape Farewell where they will turn east and head directly into 40-45 knots for the final, hard miles through the confines of the strait. Full story at http://globaloceanrace.com Loki is handicap winner of 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race . . . As the wind faded for the smaller boats this morning (local time) Stephen Ainsworth’s Loki was announced the handicap winner of the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Collecting the much coveted Tattersall’s Cup, for winning IRC handicap honours. At a presentation on board their white four year old Reichel Pugh 63 footer, Ainsworth and his crew were presented with a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece by Patrick Boutellier of Rolex Australia and the much coveted Tattersall’s Cup, by Garry Linacre, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, and Graham Taplin, Commodore of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania. The present Loki was launched three years ago after Ainsworth’s previous boat was lost after she was abandoned in severe conditions when her rudder broke during the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea. The new boat was built for offshore racing and specifically to win the Rolex Sydney Hobart. This was Ainsworth and his crew’s fourth attempt in the latest Loki. Typically they sail offshore with 18 crew and of these only one third are professional, led by Irish Volvo Ocean Race veteran, Gordon Maguire. On board typically Maguire helms while Ainsworth trims the main sheet. For the Rolex Sydney Hobart this year, Loki was fitted with a new, bigger mainsail and for the first time they had an on board weather expert to assist Bellingham in the form of British navigator Will Best. Investec Loyal declared winner of 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race Following a three hour hearing at the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania before the International Jury, the Race Committee’s protest against Investec Loyal was dismissed and Anthony Bell and the crew of his 100ft maxi were finally declared the line honours victors in the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. Bell explained that the query to the ABC helicopter pilot about Wild Oats XI’s sails had been made by their tactician Michael Coxon. Coxon is also Managing Director of North Sails Australia and, after the strong winds of the first night at sea, he had been concerned about Wild Oats XI’s mainsail, made of their new product 3Di and believed to be the most expensive sail of its type in the world. Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson finished fifth on the water. Jazz of Chris Bull finished ninth and is leader of the IRC 0 division. Loki, Stephen Ainsworth of Australia, is the overall IRC leader at present, 13 boats had finished at 08:56 GMT. Protest posted against Sydney Hobart Race winner . . . It is reported that a protest has been lodged against Investec Loyal, Rolex Sydney Hobart Race winner. Investec Loyal skipper Anthony Bell will face an international jury tomorrow morning and the yacht could be disqualified or face a time penalty. The Cruising Yacht Club has alleged Investec asked the crew of an ABC helicopter to tell them what sail Wild Oats XI was using when the yachts were just off Merimbula on NSW's south coast. Commodore Gary Linacre told a press conference the conversation was recorded and sent out and heard by others. Investec Loyal of Anthony Bell won the race for Line Honours, crossing the finish line of the 2011 Roles Sydney Hobart Race 3 minutes ahead of rival Wild Oats XI of Mark Richards on Wednesday morning (GMT). Investec Loyal takes the Sydney Hobart race . . . Investec Loyal takes the 2011 Rolex Sydney Hobartt race - Investec of Anthony Bell crossed the in one of the closest finishes on record. At the line Investec crossed just three minutes ahead of rival Wild Oats XI of Mark Richards.  Crossing the Bass Strait yesterday Investec Loyal’s track south was some 20-30 miles east of Wild Oats XI’s. But early evening, when the wind backed from the southwest into the southeast, both boats tacked southwest, Loyal getting the better of the shift, aggressively bearing away towards her opponent. Making 14 knots compared to Wild Oats XI’s 9 knots, within an hour Investec Loyal had pulled ahead by 6 miles. However at around 07:30 local time this morning, Wild Oats XI nosed her way back into the lead. Holding third place is Lahana with Hugo Boss in fourth place, they have about 50 mile to go to the line, Under IRC handicap, the battle for the Tattersall’s Cup continues. Chris Bull's Jazz holds the lead from Ragamuffin, Calm and Living Doll. All withi a minute of each other. Banque Populaire still on record schedule . . . The Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire rounded Cape Horn, the last of the three capes of the course of the Jules Verne Trophy, on 23rd December, after 30 days 22 hours 18 minutes and 48 seconds at sea. Posting a time of 10 days 15 hours 7 minutes and 15 seconds on the Pacific, Loïck Peyron and his men leave to Bruno Peyron, the elder brother of the skipper, the absolute record for the distance. The interval time between Cape Leeuwin and the way out of the Pacific is the first one not to fall into the hands of Loïck Peyron and his crew. T the crew of Orange II and Bruno Peyron remain holders with 8 days 18 hours and 8 minutes, just 1 day 20 hours 59 minutes and 15 seconds better. A potentially ideal scenario for the coming days, as Marcel van Triest, onshore router detailed at mid-day: "They will have a sea relatively tough and will have to make this detour by South Georgia. Tomorrow morning, they will jibe an head north. This will be the day of the big changes. For now, they should be very fast until Uruguay. Then there will be a transition off Brazil. They should reach the Equator in seven to eight days, which is a very decent time. In the end, it is not impossible to approach the 45 days." To become the new record holder, the Maxi Banque Populaire V has to be back no later than Monday, January 9, 2012 at 5pm 15min and 34s (ECT). Colman and Goodchild set new GOR 24-hour record . . . At the front of the Global Ocean Race fleet, it has been a ferocious 24 hours for Cessna Citation and BSL. Leading the fleet by 220 miles at 15:00 GMT on Tuesday, Conrad Colman and Artemis Offshore Academy sailor, Sam Goodchild, set a new GOR 24-hour record of 355 miles at 13:00 GMT, but conditions on board were intense. Goodchild reported-in on Tuesday afternoon: “As the sun came up, the wind started to build and we changed from our small spinnaker to the more robust reacher as a ‘chicken shoot’,” says the 22 year-old. “We spent the following 12 hours semi-submerged averaging 16-17 knots, with surfs of 26 knots.” Water cascaded aft along the Aklilaria’s decks. “We regularly lost sight of the front of the boat and occasionally our own limbs,” Goodchild continues. Furthest west, the South African team in fifth place with Phesheya-Racing has been dodging gales 160 miles above the Australian Ice Limit while the Italian-Spanish duo on Financial Crisis in fourth took the full force of a low pressure system on Tuesday morning and was knocked flat in a 58-knot gust. Beyond the eastern extremity of the ice limit, the Franco-British team on Campagne de France in third have remained in the north at 42S in big seas but lighter airs as the low pressure systems rumble passed to the south. GOR Leg 2 leaderboard at 18:00 GMT 20/12/2011: 1. Cessna Citation: DTF 1527 15.2kts 2. BSL: DTL 220 10.6kts 3. Campagne de France: DTL 669 9.9kts 4. Financial Crisis: DTL 1187 11kts 5. Phesheya-Racing: DTL 1544 10.4kts Hugo Boss sole GBR entry for 67th Sydney Hobart . . . Since the close of entries for this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race at 90 yachts, it will be a fleet of 88 yachts planning to start the famous Australian race on Monday 26 December at 1pm AEST. Alex Thomson with his Finot Open 60, Hugo Boss, GBR8055 seems to be the only British entry for this year's race. The latest withdrawals are Michael Keough’s The Gnome (SA) and Rick Christian’s The Stick (NSW). Boxing Day, as the Commonwealth nations refer to the second day of Christmas, is a traditional time in Australia and Britain to take part in and watch sport, it is no time to be sitting idle. With 628 nautical miles ahead of them, the notorious Bass Strait ‘Paddock’, and a rendezvous with ‘a quiet little drink’ in Hobart, the crews will have plenty to do and to think about.  Over its sixty-seven year history, the race record at the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race has only been broken ten times, an average of once every six and a half years. Given that the current fastest elapsed time of one day, eighteen hours, forty minutes and ten seconds was set in 2005, statistics suggest that the feat is due to be surpassed again. The combination of the East Australian Current and the rapidly changing weather contribute to the challenge of navigating the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race. All Australian states are represented on the entry list, and six international entries will sail for France, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the UK and the USA. According to Garry Linacre, Commodore of the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia, the organising authority for the contest, “This year’s race has attracted a great group of yachts with an exciting mix of brand new, recently acquired and well established boats that will provide strong competition for line honours and through the divisions. The race for the elusive Tattersall’s Cup for overall honours will again be absorbing.” AEST is equal to Greenwich Mean Time plus 10 hours (GMT +10). Race start time is 3 AM UK time 26 December. Victory for Francois Gabart in the Transat B to B . . . Victory for Francois Gabart in the Transat B to B after the race was abandoned at the southern safety gate due to the extremely stormy wind forecast. Armel Le Cleach ('Banque Populaire') and Vincent Riou ('PRB') complete the podium. Gabart’s race time was 09 days 09 hours 11 minutes 30 seconds. Covering 3,168.3miles, Macif racked up an average speed over the theoretical distance of 11.635 knots or 14.07 knots over the ground. The youngest skipper of the race, who was participating in his first solo race on a 60 foot Imoca also earns himself a ticket for the next Vendée Globe. Opting to close the Transat B to B at the safety gate, 300 miles offshore of Vigo, Jacques Caraes, Race Director, has chosen to favour the safety of the boats and the men as regards the exceptional weather conditions, even for winter, which are currently reigning in the Bay of Biscay. Above all it’s the violence of the wind shift expected overnight on Thursday, which has convinced the sporting authorities that this decision was the best. Wind in excess of 50 knots, gusting to 60-70 knots, a 90° rotation from south-west to north-west in a matter of minutes and a backdrop of crossed seas with average waves of eight metres would have scooped up the fleet as it approached the continental shelf. Here, the seabed suddenly goes from 4,000 metres to 150 metres and causes even more chaotic seas than usual. Mike Golding (Gamesa) in fourth place . . . Finished at 09h 58min Thursday morning "You do still gybe [once through the line] but what they are saying is that you can slow the boat right down through the bad bit and then start sailing again. That is what I'll do, I'll race through the line as quick as I can and then I'll let the mainsail down, kite down and just go with the headsail. I have never known this to happen before." "At the end of the day, I sort of understand, when you race, with the pressure of the race, you might do things that you wouldn't normally do. This is an exceptional storm. I haven't seen many storms quite like this one. Anything that makes things safe is good by me, but from a sailors perspective it is tough. It is true that the bottom line for safety comes down to each skipper, but someone's desire to win will perhaps cause them to make a poor decision and in these sorts of conditions that would be a mistake." MedCup sailing circuit hit by Euro crisis . . . World Sailing Management (WSM), organizers of the MedCup sailing circuit, has decided to suspend the 2012 season of the regatta circuit due to the economic and financial crisis in Europe  In the press release WSM cites the economic and financial crisis affecting the whole world and Europe in particular. With serious uncertainty regarding the number of boats, mainly in the TP 52 class, willing to commit to compete in all of the events comprising the circuit with the risk of an insufficient number of competitors to ensure the competitive level reached by the circuit in previous seasons. Also the lack of financial resources available to local authorities to become potential venues for the events of the circuit, plus the decrease in the support from AUDI AG, which has been the circuit’s title sponsor, has led WSM to terminate, early and peacefully, the sponsorship deal linking both companies. Full story at http://www.medcup.org/news/?id=5452 Garmin Hamble Winter Series finally lives up to its name . . . Winter finally came to the Garmin Hamble Winter Series in time for the final race, to show crews just how lucky they’ve been throughout the unseasonably warm event. A brisk, cold westerly wind that fluctuated between 10 and 25 knots gave the assembled sailors a challenge when it came to choosing a sailplan, not to mention working out how to make their boat go quickly upwind in a nasty chop. The regular finishing positions in many classes were turned on their head as boats came from behind after a windy series’ practice to beat the top-placed boats.  In many classes, the overall series winner has been obvious for some weeks now – and in these classes the real battles were for the remaining podium places, especially in the Sigma 38 class, where Persephone of London and Pavlova III were tied neck-and-neck for second place, and in IRC 4, where Peter Slimming’s Anne Louise and Allan Fraser’s Sigma 33 Prospero of Hamble have been fighting tooth and nail for third place overall. Pavlova III pulled out all the stops and won their race to take second overall, behind Chris and Vanessa Choules’ With Alacrity. Anne Louise beat Prospero of Hamble in IRC 4 to take third overall, behind Impala 28’s Polly and Trudi. In IRC 0, Andrew Howard’s Belladonna carried on her run of firsts to take the top spot, but having only sailed three races this series, this could only take her up to 6th overall – leaving Paul and Julia Aisher’s ultra-consistent Tangent Minus One to win overall. Similarly, in IRC1, Jim MacGregor’s Premier Flair crossed the line first, but it was the consistent Visit Malta Puma that takes the overall prize. Despite electrical and engine problems on the way to the startline, Mike Bridges’ Elan 37 Elaine won IRC2. That puts them equal on points with overall winner Steady Barker, who retired from the race after a navigational error but wins overall on countback. In the J/109 class, David Richards’ Jumping Jellyfish won, with overall winner, Richard and Valerie Griffith’s OutraJeous finishing sixth. In IRC3, ImaDjinn beat J/97 Jika-Jika, but this wasn’t enough to stop Jika-Jika taking the overall prize. And, as ever it was a match between J/80 Jester and Hunter 707 Turbulence in the Mixed Sportsboat class, with Jester taking the day’s race, but Turbulence taking the overall class prize. Day prizes were provided by MDL, and that rounds off the 2011 Garmin Hamble Winter Series nicely. All that’s left is the prizegiving next Saturday, at 1800 in the HRSC clubhouse. Now winter has finally set in, we’ll see you there for some much-needed warmth! Next year’s series will be run from the 7th October – 2nd December – see the website for full programme and final results. |
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