Στην ISTiOSELIDA - All About Sailing ξεκινάμε μια νέα ενότητα που σκοπό θα έχει να παρουσιάσει σε ένα ευρύτερο κοινό τις αξιολογότερες ιστιοπλοϊκές ομάδες της χώρας μας.
Στόχος μας είναι κάθε εβδομάδα να παρουσιάζουμε μια ομάδα (πλήρωμα, σκάφος, επιτυχίες, χορηγούς, μελλοντικά σχέδια κτλ), ώστε όσο μπορέσουμε να διευρύνουμε τη μικρή μας κοινότητα, να γνωριστούμε μεταξύ μας περισσότερο και να αναδείξουμε επιτυχίες που ίσως να μην είναι απολύτως αναγνωρισμένες απ' όλους.

θα ξεκινήσουμε αυτήν την ενότητα με ένα σκάφος της επαρχίας που όμως τα τελευταία χρόνια πρωταγωνιστεί τόσο στα Ελληνικά ιστιοπλοϊκά δρώμενα όσο και στα Παγκόσμια με επιτυχία το BLUELINE KALLISTI FERRIES του Ναυτικού Αθλητικού Συλλόγου "ΑΙΟΛΟΣ" Καλαμάτας.
Ο Γιώργος Δρακόπουλος κυβερνήτης του σκάφους μας είπε: "Το σκάφος είναι ένα Bavaria 35 match, το οποίο αγοράστηκε καινούργιο το 2005 και αντικατέστησε το παλιό Blueline τύπου Sunshine 36 μετά τη συμμετοχή του συγκεκριμένου σκάφους στο 1ο ράλλυ Αιγαίου της ομάδας (41ο Ράλλυ Αιγαίου-2η θέση ORC club2), με σκοπό να είμαστε πιο ανταγωνιστικοί και να συμμετέχουμε σε μεγαλύτερες κατηγορίες. Στόχος μας είναι να συμμετέχουμε κάθε χρόνο σε όλους τους τοπικούς αγώνες για στήριξη των ομίλων μας και τουλάχιστον σε έναν μεγάλο αγώνα εκτός Καλαμάτας, όπως το ράλλυ Αιγαίου και όποιον σημαντικό αγώνα μπορεί να συνδυαστεί χρονικά με αυτόν."
Εδώ θα πρέπει να τονίσουμε τη σημασία των υποστηριχτών της ομάδας, Kallisti Ferries, BMW Γεωργακόπουλος, Messinian Bay, Φροντιστήρια ξένων γλωσσών Nick Oliver Koronios, Cafe-bar Enodia & Νομαρχιακή Αυτοδιοίκηση Μεσσηνίας, που επέλεξαν μια ομάδα εκτός κέντρου να προβληθούν και να στηρίξουν.
Για ένα σκάφος της επαρχίας είναι πολύ πιο δύσκολο να στηρίξει ένα χορηγό, ενώ τα έξοδα συμμετοχής σε έναν αγώνα είναι πολλαπλάσια από αυτά ενος σκάφους του κέντρου. Οι μέρες συμμετοχής είναι πολλές παραπάνω λόγω των επιπλέον μιλίων που πρέπει να κάνει το σκάφος για τη μεταφορά του, με αποτέλεσμα να υπάρχουν πολλές απαιτήσεις τόσο στο οικονομικό αλλά και στο χρόνο που χρειάζεται ένα σκάφος για να ακολουθήσει τους αγώνες.
Το βασικό πλήρωμα αποτελείται από νεαρούς αθλητές του ομίλου όπου ανήκει Ν.Α.Σ. Καλαμάτας "Αίολος".
Αναφορικά είναι οι εξής:

• Δρακόπουλος Γιώργος (κυβερνήτης)
• Τσακάκος Γιώργος
• Σαρρής Γιώργος
• Δημόπουλος Γιάννης
• Ιάκωβος Νεκτάριος
• Καβουρίνος Τάκης
• Βαμβακά Δέσποινα
• Αγγελόπουλος Στέφανος.

Λόγω του βεβαρημένου προγράμματος σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις, όπως η φετινή που είναι αδύνατο το βασικό πλήρωμα να ακολουθήσει όλες τις διοργανώσεις, υπάρχει μια μεγάλη λίστα ανθρώπων, που είναι φίλοι και συναθλητές ακόμα και από άλλους ομίλους εκτός Καλαμάτας, όπως Λάμπρος Χάρης, Σπανόπουλος Χρήστος, Κυρούσης Ντίνος (Πάτρα), Ραρρής Αλέξανδρος, Στέφανος Λιουιν (Κέρκυρα) και πολλοί άλλοι, οι οποίοι αφού επιλεγούν και με τη στοιχειώδη προετοιμασία επανδρώνουν το σκάφος στους μεγάλους και χρονοβόρους αγώνες.
Όλοι αυτοί προέρχονται από Ολυμπιακές κατηγορίες και έχουν ο καθένας από αυτούς πολλές προσωπικές διακρίσεις. Κάποιες φορές επιλέγονται και άτομα από τις σχολές ανοιχτής θαλάσσης του Αιόλου με σκοπό να δίνει την ευκαιρία σε νέους ιστιοπλόους να ασχοληθούν αγωνιστικά με το άθλημα.
Αξίζει να σημειωθεί ότι το σκάφους Blueline Kallisti Ferries είναι το μοναδικό επαρχιακό ιστιοπλοϊκό σκάφος που λαμβάνει μέρος στο Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα Ιστιοπλοΐας που πραγματοποιείται στις 5-11 Ιουλίου 2009 στο Brindisi της Ιταλίας.
Η προσπάθεια αυτή στηρίζεται κατά κύριο λόγω στην μεγάλη αγάπη τόσο του κυβερνήτη του σκάφους του κ . Δρακόπουλο Γ. όσο και της κύριας αγωνιστικής αλλά αναπληρωματικής ομάδας του σκάφους, καθώς επίσης και στην επίγεια υποστήριξη του.
Ένα μεγάλο κομμάτι της ευθύνης για την πραγματοποίηση του ονείρου αποκομίζει και ο χορηγός του σκάφους, η εταιρία kallisti ferries, που με την επιλογή της αυτή αποτέλεσε την πρώτη μεγάλη εταιρία που έσπασε το κατεστημένο της συνεχής υποστήριξης μεγάλων ομάδων – σκαφών της πρωτεύουσας. Δίνοντας την δυνατότητα και την ευκαιρία σε ένα σκάφος της επαρχίας, να αποτελέσει το προπύργιο για τις μελλοντικές συμμετοχές και άλλων σκαφών της επαρχίας, καθώς και την προσέγγιση χορηγιών εκτός πρωτεύουσας.

Ενδεικτικά αναφέρουμε κάποιες παλαιότερες διακρίσεις της ομάδας:

• 4th 45th Aegean Rally 2008 ORCiA overall
• 8th World championship ORCi corinthians 2008 in Athens
• 6th National championship ORCi 2008
• 1st National championship IMS 2007
• 4th 44th Aegean Rally 2007 IMS A
• 6th Mediterranean championship IMS 2006 in Brindisi-Italia
• 9th XXI INTERNATIONAL REGATTA BRINDISI-CORFU IMS Adriatic sea2006
• 3rd 43th Aegean Rally 2006 IMS A2
• 10th National Ranking 2005
• 1st Hellenic Sailing Federation RANKING LIST for southern Greece in 2005, 2006 And 2007
• 1st OVER ALL South Greece REGATTA 2005, 2006 and 2007
• 1st OVER ALL `KARELIAS CUP` 2005, 2006 and 2007

Το πρόγραμμα για φέτος είναι: Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα, Ράλλυ Αιγαίου, Ράλλυ Νοτίου Ελλάδος, Πανελλήνιο Πρωτάθλημα ORCi και φυσικά όλους τους τοπικούς αγώνες.

Καλή επιτυχία στην προσπάθεια των παιδιών τόσο στο Παγκόσμιο όσο και στους υπόλοιπους στόχους τους και μακάρι να δούμε και άλλες ομάδες από την περιφέρεια να δραστηριοποιηθούν με τον δυναμισμό του Blueline Kallisti Ferries.

You cannot ask for much more. Tremendous racing conditions with a building Mistral and a lumpy sea, made worse by the constant attention of the spectator fleet.
Porto Cervo laid it on thick and the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2009 delivered. None more so than the new World Champions Barking Mad (USA) and runners up, Nerone (ITA).
Two races were sailed in winds from the northwest that gusted to the mid-twenties and stretched the already tired crews on the last day of competition. Nerone put her marker down to win the first race of the day and set up a winner takes all, second and final race - the tenth in this intensely fought series. Mascalzone Latino, the three times World Champions won the race, but the all-too significant result was Jim Richardson and Barking Mad crossing the line ahead of Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone to secure the title for a third time. The first time an American boat has won outside of their home waters.
For Richardson, it is a dream come true, "We're very, very happy. Coming to Italy and winning this World Championship in Porto Cervo is an amazing feeling for us. There are so many good teams out there, particularly the Italians and to be able to win in their home waters is a great thrill for us. We tried to stay calm all week. It's easy to get too wound up and too hyped up. Our basic philosophy throughout the regatta was not to take chances, or take risks. If necessary we ducked boats rather than try to force an issue. Our point-score is a tribute to how well we sailed the boat, without taking any risks. Our worst race was a sixth and that is pretty good."
He is not kidding, no previous winner of the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds has averaged less than four points for the Championship. As Vascotto pointed out, even Nerone's score would have won in all previous years. For Vincenzo Onorato, the outgoing, three-time (in a row) World Champion, who laughingly remarked that his last race this year was the first race of his 2010 Rolex Farr 40 Worlds campaign, this was "a wonderful story for the Class."
Provisional Standings After 10 Races
1. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson, USA, 38.00
2. Nerone, Massimo Mezzaroma, ITA, 45.00
3. Joe Fly, Giovanni Maspero, ITA, 53.00
4. Mascalzone Latino, Vincenzo Onorato, ITA, 66.00
5. Flash Gordon, Helmut Jahn, USA, 81.00
6. Plenty, Alex Roepers, USA, 102.00
7. Twins, Erik Maris, FRA, 102.00
8. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, AUS, 104.00
9. Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill, AUS, 113.00
10. Twt, Marco Rodolfi, ITA, 117.00
www.farr40worldchampionship.com

It was an historic moment tonight in St Petersburg, Russia, when as the White Night turned to dawn the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, led by Telefonica Black in a thrilling climax, crossed the tenth and final finish line of this nine-month, 37,000 nm race around the world.

Spanish skipper, Fernando Echavarri said, "It's a prize for all the crew and all the shore crew. We have been trying to do it in all the legs but couldn't; this was our last chance. We had a nice battle with PUMA in the last 100 miles. We are really happy.
Victory for Telefonica Black was hard-fought and a match race developed with PUMA, who had led the fleet for the majority of this 400-mile sprint from Stockholm. At just after midnight GMT and while on the additional triangle added to lengthen the course, Telefonica Black gained a small advantage, which translated into a two and a half boat length win, denying PUMA a second leg win in a row. However, with a total of 105.5 points, PUMA takes second place overall.
PUMA skipper Kenny Read said: "Congratulations to all those guys, they have worked very hard for their first leg win. We will take our second and our second overall. You know what? We just sailed around the world. I guess I said a thousand times that we know no other way but to make it hard for ourselves. It's a shame, because we usually win these close battles and today we didn't.
"The big picture is we finished this race, everyone is safe and the boat has been spectacular. We flew the flag well for Volvo and I think we flew the flag well for PUMA. We have everything to be proud of. Relief is the right word. Right now, it is relief and, as always, we are a pretty tired group onboard. Let the celebrations begin because all the group deserves it."
Telefonica Blue (Bouwe Bekking/NED) filled the third spot both on leg 10 and overall, to close the team's account on 98 points.
Fourth place finishers tonight and fourth overall with 78.5 points was Ericsson 3 and Swedish skipper, Magnus Olsson was exhausted. "I feel so tired I cannot say anything! Everybody is happy because they have sailed around the world, but they are also very tired. After a day or two we can say more intelligent things. You always want to do well in every leg, but this was special because it was the short one and the last one. We were up there so we are happy, but we couldn't keep up until the finish. They beat us fair and square."
Runaway overall leaders, with a final tally of 114.5 points and nine points clear of PUMA, Torben Grael and his 10 crew of Ericsson 4 finished this leg in fifth place.
Green Dragon kept her slender lead over Delta Lloyd to finish the leg in sixth place, and fifth overall with 67 points.
To conclude the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, Delta Lloyd, the only generation one Volvo Open 70 to compete in the race, finished shortly after Green Dragon to finish the race on a total of 41.5 points.
Leg Ten Finishing Order St Petersburg
1. Telefonica Black
2. PUMA
3. Telefonica Blue
4. Ericsson 3
5. Ericsson 4
6. Green Dragon
7. Delta Lloyd

Ken Read's PUMA leads the final charge to the St Petersburg finish line. There's barely a sigareta paper between the top five and still all to play for ... more...

Two races, two winners, no change at the top. The wobbles have begun though and the moves are being made in both directions. Rudyard Kipling could have written his famous poem about day two at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds 2009.
Three boats held their nerve the best. Jim Richardson and Barking Mad (USA), Giovanni Maspero and Joe Fly (ITA), Massimo Mezzaroma and Nerone (ITA) kept the damage to the minimum and lead the fleet going into day three.
Today was all about keeping your head at the start line. Neither race got away cleanly.
The first race required two attempts, the second three. In the first race two boats still got it wrong second time around despite the threat of a Z Flag - which adds an irredeemable three-point scoring penalty at this regatta if you are over early.
In the second race the phrase 'losing it' springs to mind, as eleven boats sailed the course under the shadow of the penalty flag. Those got away cleanly through luck or judgement had a relatively easy day.
Both Barking Mad and Joe Fly led their races; both sailed in mid-teen westerlies, from start to finish. The Italian crew had the better day posting a fourth in the first race to keep all their scores so far in the top five. The Americans posted a sixth in the second race, but stay in first overall.
These two are separated by one point, with Nerone's score line of 2, 4 sufficient to lift them into third place, seven points off the pace... more here

PROVISIONAL STANDINGS AFTER THREE RACES
Place, Boat Name, Owner, Nation, R1-R2-R3-R4-R5-Points
1. BARKING MAD Jim Richardson USA, 1-6-4-1-6-18.00
2. JOE FLY Giovanni Maspero ITA, 4-5-5-4-1-19.00
3. NERONE Massimo Mezzaroma ITA, 5-1-13-2-4-25.00
4. MASCALZONE LATINO Vincenzo Onorato ITA, 2-10-2-9-ZFP 6-31.00
5. GOOMBAY SMASH William Douglass USA, 7-2-12-8-7-36.00
6. TRANSFUSION Guido Belgiorno-Nettis AUS, 9-7-1-3-ZFP 20-40.00
7. FLASH GORDON Helmut Jahn USA, 20-4-3-11-ZFP 11-49.00
8. FIAMMA Alessandro Barnaba ITA, 3-12-7-10-ZFP 4-56.00
9. TWINS Erik Maris FRA, 14-8-15-14-ZFP 5-56.00
10. KOKOMO Lang Walker AUS, 10-15-9-12-11-57.00
...
19. ATALANTI Stratis Andreadis GRE, 18-20-17-18-ZFP 19.00- 92.00

For more information about the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds including entry and crew lists, tracking, live reporting from the racecourse and results please visit http://www.farr40worldchampionship.com/

An excerpt from Richard Gladwell's latest editorial at Sail-World.com:

An final decision is still pending on an extension of the highly successful Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, which will introduce a new world series of sailing regattas using America's Cup class yachts.

Already several meetings have been held with 12 teams from 10 countries being present at one discussion. A second meeting was held in Marseilles during the recent Audi MedCup regatta held in that port.

Alinghi was believed to have been present at one of these sessions. Initially a formal announcement of the series was expected this coming Friday, however it is expected that this date may slide pending a final 'get-go' for the complex arrangements and logistics.

The shape of the new series is expected to be a combination of recent developments in the America's Cup, Louis Vuitton Cup, Louis Vuitton Pacific Series, and the Acts sailed in 2005 and 2006 sponsored by Louis Vuitton. With the rejection of a multi challenger series using boats the the new 33AC rule, the door has been opened for the Challengers to do their own thing while waiting for the multihull challenge to be sorted out.

Golden Gate YC/BMW Oracle Racing are believed to be strongly in favour of a Louis Vuitton World Series, and if they prevail in the 33rd America's Cup then the new series should fly. Whoever is the Defender of the 34th America's Cup will not have the luxury of dictating the terms of the Event, as has been done in the past. The vacuum that has been created by the litigation has created a space that is being filled by other events, albeit it without the prestige of the America's Cup, but definitely offering the certainty that the Auld Mug has lacked in the past two years.

The Volvo Ocean Race, with professional forward thinking management and an inclusive style is a serious threat to the old type America's Cup organisation. A new way forward is required, with a professionally organised global event.

Louis Vuitton and Bruno Trouble have the record and are currently without peer in this regard, but a green light from both sides in the 33rd America's Cup is preferred, but maybe not required.

Full article at www.sail-world.com

Team Russia arrived in Stockholm tonight in the latest stage of their bid to qualify for a return to racing.
The team suspended racing in Singapore at the end of leg three because it lacked the funds necessary to continue.
Following a change to the team's management and sailing team, they are now hoping to be declared eligible to take a place on the start line for the leg 10 sprint to St Petersburg, Russia.
To achieve that, their boat must now be examined to ensure it still complies with the class and race rules, while the crew must also satisfy a number of criteria.
Earlier this week, Race Director Jack Lloyd explained: "We haven't seen the boat since Christmas time when they left Singapore so we have no idea of the state of the electronics or the measurement condition of the boat. She has to comply with the rules, like any other boat. All other boats have to maintain the boat in measurement trim and their crew have to qualify. They have to go through that process.
"Their old crew has disbanded so probably about eight of them - if they want to take a full crew - have to take a safety course. We have got to do medicals and a little bit of other training, plus we have to get the boat back into measurement trim and get all the electronics done."
Discussions are currently going on between the team and the race organisation to ascertain what needs to be done before the boat is given the go-ahead to end its self-imposed suspension and return to racing.
Stig Westergaard, who has taken over the role of skipper from Andreas Hanakamp, admitted the team face a struggle in order to meet the regulations ahead of Thursday's leg start.
"We have a lot of issues on our hands before we can make it to the start line," he said after arriving shortly after 1900 local time. "We just have to work very hard.
"The boat has been in the water for six months and we don't really know what that has done to the measurement situation. It hasn't been maintained very well the last couple of months. Right now we have a big list of tasks and we just have to get on with it."
Of the previous sailing team, only Westergaard and founder Oleg Zherebtsov intend to be onboard, while the skipper revealed watch leader Nick Bubb was also flying into Sweden to take part.
Westergaard believes taking the team back to the home of its owner would be a fitting way to wrap up the campaign.
"It is a good way to close the door, bringing it back to Russia," he said. "Bringing the boat to this stage has been one of the toughest jobs I have ever done. It has been an absolute nightmare dealing with the issues we have had.
"A lot of people have been asking me in the last two months ‘are you nuts?' I have always taken on tasks that other people think are impossible. So far it has been quite successful and I hope I can get to the line here and put another tick on that box."
Under the race rules, a team can suspend racing and return provided they meet the set criteria that govern the event. The practice is most usually used in a leg whereby a team can receive outside assistance to help effect repairs in return for a time penalty (all the teams except Ericsson 4 and PUMA have taken this option at one stage or other during the race so far).

Porto Cervo, Sardinia, ITA

June 23, 2009

For the 26 crews gathered in Porto Cervo for the twelfth Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, the last few days have been a frenzy of checks and practice, as the main event looms large on the horizon. With ten nations represented, this year's Championship is a truly international affair. Ten races are scheduled, every one of which will count. The margin for error will be unfriendly and small. No one could be accused of trying to talk the talk ahead of this event, but tomorrow we will have a clue as to who is prepared enough to walk the walk.
The nine Italian crews with the reigning and back-to-back three-time champion in their midst, are undoubtedly pre-start favourites to put forward a worthy winner. They will not have it all their own way. The heavy hitters from the USA count a two-time former champion in their ranks and the Australian teams are stacked with top-quality sailors. The French and Germans field immense experience and are capable of the consistency required to win. The Danes and Greeks are not here to make up the numbers. And, whilst the crews from Great Britain and the Ukraine may be outsiders in the Farr 40 Class, with a changeable weather forecast offering a mix of light and strong conditions over the four days of racing, there remains room for even those with the longest odds to dream.
All eyes will be on Vincenzo Onorato and Mascalzone Latino (ITA), gunning for an unprecedented fourth title, following their unprecedented successful title defence in 2007 and an equally unprecedented third in a row victory last year. Onorato put his marker down at a light-wind Rolex Capri Sailing Week a month ago holding his nerve the best to secure overall victory. Onorato, though, is an archetypal superstitious Neapolitan and never discusses his prospects. However, with his trusted lieutenant and tactician, Adrian Stead, alongside him and a crew with exceptional experience in the winner's circle, few would argue against his headline billing.
The Rolex Farr 40 Worlds were last held in the Mediterranean mecca of big boat racing in 2003, when Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (ITA) emphatically blitzed the opposition winning with a race to spare. Mezzaroma has finished in the top ten of the Championship every year since and is certainly a contender to revisit former glories this year. Evidence of ambition was plain to see in Miami in March and then again in yesterday's practice races.
Mezzaroma is openly positive, "I know that Sardinia is a lucky place for us, every time we've been racing here we do a good job. We are confident we can have a good Championship.” Sailing once again with tactician, Vasco Vascotto, Mezzaroma has reason to be self-assured. He has made only one crew change since 2003 and the weather forecast is for some wind for the first part of the event at least, “we are pretty comfortable with every condition, but with strong wind we feel better. I certainly prefer a windy week for us; 2003 was very windy with 20-25 knots.”
Class President Jim Richardson and Barking Mad head the clutch of American boats, champing at the bit to recover some bragging rights in a preserve that used to be their own, until the rest of the world got wind of how rewarding sailing in the Farr 40 could be. Richardson won the first ever Worlds back in 1998 and followed it up in 2004 with a win in San Francisco, but significantly he and his compatriots have yet to convert a victory outside the USA (and the Bahamas - before any one calls in a correction). Along with Richardson, Helmut Jahn/Flash Gordon, Doug Douglass/Goombay Smash and Alex Roepers/Plenty will be aiming to put the record straight and prove they can travel.
The Australians have come the furthest to be here and have some longstanding pedigree in the Farr 40 Class. John Calvert-Jones was the first from Downunder to take the world title back in 2000 in Newport, Rhode Island. Richard Perini snuffed out the opposition on a tiebreak in Sydney in 2005 and, whilst neither is still active in the class, their legacy remains. Mark Walsh won with Calvert-Jones in 2000 and is part of Lang Walker's Kokomo crew here. Guido Belgiornio-Nettis and hisTransfusion crew won the 2008-09 Australian Championship sailing Perini's former Worlds-winning boat.
Belgiorno-Nettis is taking a lot on. Despite a self-evident family connection with Italy, he is certainly not at home sailing in Italian waters. "This is the first time we've sailed in the Med on the Farr 40; we've only ever sailed in Australia," he explains. “We're also sailing a different boat and have only had a week to get used to it.”
So, whilst happy to be at the Worlds, Belgiorno-Nettis is understandably circumspect, “it's very exciting. We're as prepared as we're going to be for the time being. We're still a young crew, we're still learning; so I think this is going to be a regatta to give us a feel for how we fit into the world elite of the Farr 40s. We've only been in the class for a couple of years now, but we've been working with a pretty consistent group. It's part of the secret…if there is a secret!”
Sailing on Transfusion as tactician is Tom Slingsby a two-time Laser World Champion, one of a number of highly-successful dinghy sailors competing here; more on some of the others over the course of the event.
For the moment sit back, relax and enjoy the peace. The 2009 Rolex Farr Worlds gets underway tomorrow and according to Geoff Stagg, of the Farr 40 Class Management Committee, “we're in for a treat. Watching twenty-six forty-footers on the line… going into a mark is a lot of action. Anything can happen. Anything.”
The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship 2009 is organised by the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda and the Farr 40 Class Association. Racing will be held in the waters off Porto Cervo, Sardinia from Wednesday, 24 June to Saturday, 27 June.

For more information about the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds including entry and crew lists, tracking, live reporting from the racecourse and results please visit www.farr40worldchampionship.com

Βγήκαν και τα αποτελέσματα του Αγώνα της Επιδαύρου για το τρίτο και τελευταίο μπράτσο και φυσικά τα overall αποτελέσματα.
Μπορείτε να τα δείτε αναλυτικά εδώ.

Η απονομή των επάθλων θα γίνει την Τετάρτη 24 Ιουνίου στις 8:30 μ.μ. στις εγκαταστάσεις τριγώνου του ΝΑΟΕΦ (Ακτή Δηλαβέρη 2).

Javier Pujol, owner/skipper of the Sparkman & Stephens-designed 43-foot Calima (ESP), was confirmed as winner of the Giraglia Race today at the prizegiving ceremony for the 57th edition of the Giraglia Rolex Cup, held at the Yacht Club Italiano in Genoa. Calima received the Rolex Challenge Trophy and the Bellon Challenge Trophy for being the first yacht overall on corrected time in the IRC division, which had the most number of entries.
An avid racing and cruising sailor, Pujol from Barcelona, was clearly pleased with Calima's win, though not quick to take credit saying, “To win the overall classification is to be lucky or not to be lucky. But in class we won the regatta on the leg from La Fourmigue to La Giraglia.
We positioned the boat in a better place than the rest of the fleet and were very fast.” Pujol does take credit for his crew, a great group of friends who sail together in regattas in Barcelona, Palma, and St. Tropez. Calima was the 60th boat around La Giraglia, and from there faced the same light wind obstacles as the fleet, Pujol continued, “It's always difficult to arrive to Genoa, but we took the option to go inshore off Portofino and did well.” While Pujol initially bought the boat to cruise, shortly after he entered the 2001 Rolex Fastnet Race, where Calima won class and finished 6th overall - and thus his racing career had begun. This is Pujol's seventh Girgalia race and he has placed well before; in 2002, Calima finished 1st in class and 2nd overall. The boat may be 40 years old, but with its' S&S pedigree, it is well-designed and Pujol has carefully maintained and upgraded the boat over the years. Since he bought it in 2000, the rig has been replaced with a carbon mast. As the owner says, “it's a classic boat with modern technology”.
For winning the Giraglia Race on elapsed time Alegre (GBR) was awarded the Rolex Trophy and the Renι Levainville Trophy.
The Beppe Croce Trophy for first to round the Giraglia Rock was awarded to the Open 60, Group Bel (FRA). Aurora (ITA), with co-owners Paolo Bonomo and Roberto Berruto, won the ORC division on corrected time.
After finishing the 2008 Girgalia in 2nd overall on corrected time, Bonomo said, “We have been sailing more consistently, and this year in two regattas over the past months we've finished 2nd in both. It is not a professional crew, they are amateurs, but with very good experience, 30-35 years… vecchittini, and they are all passionate.”
"It's a very good performing boat, not top of the line, but we finally got a good result. It's a Canard 41, every year we update the boat and we replaced the keel and the rudder last year." Roberto Berruto added, “We love the Girgalia - we have done it every year since 1986; then we came in 2nd in 2006, so we took a year off. When we sailed again in 2008 we came in 2nd again! It's a long race, so you need to stay calm and you need to not lose your nerve. It's very competitive, but you need some luck." For the best combined score from the three days of inshore racing in St. Tropez and the Giraglia Race from St. Tropez to Genoa, Pace (GBR), a Marten 49, won the Challenge Nucci Novi Trophy.
The prize giving ceremony took place this afternoon at the Yacht Club Italiano, where the winners of each class were awarded trophies for their achievements.
Several of the top winners were awarded Rolex timepieces -- a beautiful reward for a hard-earned victory in this renowned offshore regatta:
- Alegre, Line Honours, for Andy Soriano a Rolex Yacht-Master in steel and platinum, - Calima, IRC corrected time overall, for Javier Pujol a Rolex Yacht-Master in steel and platinum,
- Aurora, ORC corrected time overall, for co-owners Paolo Bonomo and Roberto Bruno a Rolex Yacht-Master in steel and platinum
- Pace, winner combined overall in the Giraglia Rolex Cup (inshore racing and Giraglia Race), a Rolex Submariner in stainless steel.
The Giraglia Rolex Cup is organised by the Yacht Club Italiano with the collaboration of the Yacht Club de France and the Sociιtι Nautique de St. Tropez. Giraglia Rolex Cup Overall Results
Winner Line Honours - Alegre (Andres Soriano) Elapsed Time: 36 hours 58 minutes 45 seconds
Overall Results of 243-mile Giraglia Race (IRC corrected time)
1. Calima - Javier Pujol (ESP) - S&S 43 - 48:48:22
2. Genapi - Jean Luc Boixel (FRA) - Swan 42 - 49:22:00
3. White Goose - Mauro Pelaschier (ITA) - Arya 415 - 50:39:01
Overall Results of 243-mile Giraglia Race (ORC corrected time)
1. Aurora - Bonomo-Berruto (ITA) - Canard 41 - 08:31:43
2. Sea Wonder 007 - Vittorio Urbinati (ITA) - GP42 - 08:35:44
3. I. Nova - Alberto Franchella (ITA) - Comet 45S - 09:02:01

For Giraglia Rolex Cup full results go to www.yci.it

Το Optimum 3 είναι ο νικητής της κατηγοράς IRC 1 και το Gant ο νικητής της IRC 2 του 7ου Αγώνα Αιγαίου Αρχιπελάγους.
To Optimum 3 είναι και ο νικητής της γενικής κατάταξης IRC circuit.
Με τη δεύτερη συνεχόμενη νίκη του, το Gant έχει ήδη αποκτήσει μια διαφορά ασφαλείας από τα υπόλοιπα σκάφη της κατηγορίας IRC 2 στην κατάταξη του IRC circuit. Στην IRC 1 το Οptimum 3 ισοβαθμεί με το Brave για την πρώτη θέση ενώ στην κατάταξη των ομίλων, ο ΝΟΕ προηγείται οριακά του ΠΟΙΑΘ.
Για τα πλήρη αποτελέσματα και περισσότερες πληροφορίες πατήστε εδώ.

Φωτογραφίες από την εκκίνηση του αγώνα. (John Βασιλείου ο επίσημος φωτογράφος του IRC circuit 2009.
Επικοινωνήστε μαζί του για περισσότερες φωτογραφίες, παραγγελίες ή πληροφορίες. Τηλέφωνο: 6936542742, email: j.a.vassiliou@gmail.com)

First there was the trauma of the grounding in Marstrand at the start of Leg 9. Then there was the desperate battle to repair Telefonica Blue and get her to Stockholm for the final In-Port Race.
After days of 24/7 labour they made it and watch captain, Jonathan Swain looked me in the eye yesterday and told me that the repair hadn’t left the boat compromised for speed – somehow, they had got the keel fin and bulb straight and fair.
Now, if they were to keep the dream of second place overall alive, all they had to do was maintain their awesome inshore record and beat PUMA in the in-port race series. So - after all that, the one thing this crew didn’t need was a lousy start to the first race. But there they were, at the top mark the first time – dead last.
photo credit: Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Perfect weather and hundreds of spectator boats turn out, for the Stockholm in-port race.
At that point, it would have been very easy for heads to go down, for a crew that has had such a rollercoaster ride around the world to have finally given up and accepted their fate – third place overall behind PUMA. But not Mr Bouwe Bekking and his brothers-in-arms, these guys aren’t top inshore boat in this Volvo Ocean Race for nothing.
They immediately looked fast as they turned downwind - as they always have in lighter conditions. But as they started to reel in the tightly compressed pack, Bekking decided to split from the fleet.
photo credit: Rick Tomlinson/Volvo Ocean Race.
Perfect weather and hundreds of spectator boats turn out, for the Stockholm in-port race.
Telefonica Blue gybed first, and headed out to the western side of the race course.
It looked a pretty radical move, especially immediately afterwards, as the group started to ease away from them. But what Bekking had spotted, and was about to utilise, was the key feature in the breeze that determined the rest of the afternoon’s racing – a geographic wind shift.
photo credit: Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Perfect weather and hundreds of spectator boats turn out, for the Stockholm in-port race
The wind can shift in direction for a lot of reasons – changes in the isobars and pressure gradient, the thermal effects of the land and sea heating at different rates, but also the increased friction as the wind passes over the land rather than the water. This can set up what sailors call a geographical wind shift, a permanent feature in the wind that stays in place as long as it blows from one direction.
Today, in the ten knot south-southeasterly wind blowing over the islands surrounding the KanholmsfjÄrden, that geographic feature consisted of a wind that was blowing from a more easterly direction on the western side of the race course. It was in place virtually all day, and was particularly noticeable on the upwind legs.
photo credit: Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Perfect weather and hundreds of spectator boats turn out, for the Stockholm in-port race
Boats that started the upwind leg on port tack and immediately headed that way were always able to make a course closer to the windward mark than those to the east.
The move that saved Bekking’s day was to utilise this on the first run – way ahead of anyone else hooking into it. By gybing to the west early after mark one, they sailed themselves into the wind shift first. Once they gybed to port, the more easterly breeze provided them with a great angle down the course. They sailed straight down to the leeward gate with no more gybes, passing everyone that had favoured the eastern side of the race course – Green Dragon, Delta Lloyd, Ericsson 4, and rounding equal with Telefonica Black.
There was still a long way to go – but Bekking again favoured the western side on the next beat, and actually led through the mid-course gate.
photo credit: Dave Kneale/Volvo Ocean Race
Perfect weather and hundreds of spectator boats turn out, for the Stockholm in-port race
If it wasn’t for tacking a little late for the final approach to the windward mark, they might well have rounded in the lead - but third at the finish turned out to be good enough.
Telefonica Blue didn’t manage to get off the start line in the second race in such a position that they could get back out to that western side of the course. By then, everyone had figured out that it was the way to go both upwind and downwind, and there was a queue. PUMA and Telefonica Black led out to that side, and were the first to tack to starboard for their final approach to the windward mark.
And this was where Telefonica Blue pulled their second (honourable mention) play of the day. This time around they picked the perfect spot to tack on the final approach to the windward mark. It was a confident move from navigator, Simon Fisher (who’s not had the best of weeks) - happy to call for the tack a long way short of where PUMA had chosen.
It worked out just fine; PUMA had gone too far, and Telefonica Blue saved themselves so much distance with the earlier tack, that they made up for the disadvantage of being on the wrong side of the first leg. Telefonica Blue rounded the first mark in the lead, but to win the day, PUMA had to come third or worse.
Bekking did a nice job of encouraging that to happen with his boat positioning on the final upwind leg, and Telefonica Black closed the deal on the final run. PUMA was third, Telefonica Blue won the day on the tie-break (best result in the last race wins) and crept to 6.5 points behind PUMA overall. There are eight points on the table for a win in the last leg – it needs a miracle for PUMA not to score more than one point, but the mathematics say that the dream is still alive

After just two and half days after we the hit the rock, we are finally back on the water. The repair has been completed in an extraordinarily short time and the shore crew did a fantastic job.

There are not enough words or beers that we can buy to compensate the efforts that they made. Thanks guys. And thanks to the Ericsson Racing Team for letting us the work container, it has been very handy.

Thanks to the people that have been helping us, thanks to the lady that works in the shop just next to where we hauled the boat for preparing the coffee twice a day and giving it to us as a present… Thank you from all the crew.

Stockholm here we come.

Rolex Farr 40 World Championship Porto Cervo, Sardinia, ITA - June 24 - 27, 2009

Φέτος το Παγκόσμιο Πρωτάθλημα Rolex Farr 40 πάει στην Ιταλία και συγκεντρώνει πάνω από 40 συμμετοχές, που θα συναγωνιστούν σκληρά, σε μια από τις πιο ανταγωνιστικές κλάσεις, για τέσσερις μέρες με πανομοιότυπα σκάφη για να ανακηρυχθεί ο Παγκόσμιος Πρωταθλητής.
Από τον κανονισμό κάθε πλήρωμα μπορεί να έχει το πολύ μέχρι τέσσερις επαγγελματίες και πέντε με έξι ερασιτέχνες ιστιοπλόους και να τιμονεύεται υποχρεωτικά από ερασιτέχνη ιστιοπλόο (συνήθως τον ιδιοκτήτη του σκάφους).
Οι αγώνες One Design είναι ακριβείς, έντονοι και απαιτούν ιδιαίτερα αποτελεσματική τακτική, όταν όλοι οι άλλοι παράγοντες (σκάφος, πανιά) είναι ίσοι το ταλέντο και οι ικανότητες είναι αυτά που θα αποφασίσουν τον νικητή.
Στο πρωτάθλημα θα έχουμε και μια Ελληνική Συμμετοχή το σκάφος "Αταλάντη-GR42" με κυβερνήτη/ιδιοκτήτη τον Στρατή Ανδρεάδη και tactisian τον Peter Isler.