Pieter Heerema and his team No Way Back have conquered the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup. Winners of the fleet regatta and the DHL Trophy, they also grab the RC 44 Championship Tour 2009 ahead of Artemis, who retains the overall fleet race title.

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Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup - Fleet race, final results after ten races: Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results (DHL Trophy double points regatta in bold), total number of points
1) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 3, 3, 4, 1, 2, 4, 2, 2, 5, 2 – 28 points
2) Artemis, Tim Snedden, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 4, 3, 6 - 43 points
3) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 9, 7, 2, 2, 8, 3, 4, 8, 4, 5 – 52 points
4) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 8, 8, 7, 7, 1, 2, 12, 6, 2, 3 – 56 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton, 10, 6, 6, 8, 5, 6, 6, 1, 1, 9 – 58 points
6) Team Katusha, Bob Little, 4, 9, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8, 10, 7, 4 - 63 points
7) Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 1, 5, 3, 10, 6, 9, 20, 3, 6, 1 – 64 points
8) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 6, 1, 10, 9, 7, 1, 14, 5, 10, 8 - 71 points
9) Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 7, 4, 9, 5, 8, 8, 16, 7, 8, 7 - 79 points
10) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero, 2, 10, 8, 4, 9, 10, 18, 9, 9, 10 – 89 points
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Last day's report from Paul Cayard:
Not a great day for Katusha today. We started out really badly by finishing last in the first race. We were sailing with the number 2 jib on as the breeze was up today and we really struggled with our speed upwind. Toward the end of the race we made some changes in our set up and it seemed to help us the rest of the day. In the second race, we had a good races going at the end of the first lap we were in fourth. The wind shifted 40 degrees to the right and I had us too far to the left so we gave back 4 positions on the second windward leg of that race. We passed one boat down the run to the finish but still a disappointing 7th. For the last race, we had a good start, actually all of our starts were good all week and that is a credit to Bob Little and Morgan Gutenkunst. We were battling away in 5th most of the race and then we passed Aqua down the final run to finish 4th in the last one. It was not our best regatta that is for sure. We made a lot of mistakes and had more than the normal amount of things go against us. So that is the recipe for mediocrity. BMW Oracle had a good day winning the first two races and No Way Back just dominated the series and the season. No Way Back has put more time and effort into this class than any other team this year and it shows in the results. They have two coaches; one for the sails and one for the crew work, and they show up one week before the regatta starts to train. That is how to get good at sailing the boat. Ray Davies does a very nice job with the tactics as well so well deserved. I am off to SFO for about 20 hours and then to Rio on Tuesday where I will be racing in the Nestle Match Cup which is a match racing event. I will be sailing with a bunch of my Star buddies as crew. We are racing Bennetau First Class 40.7's I believe. I really like Rio and haven't been in a while so I am looking forward to spending a few days down there with some good friends. I will report in on Wednesday or Thursday.
For more information go to www.rc44.com
Photos: Copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association

πηγή: Paul Cayard
A decent day for Katusha today. Actually apart from one incident, it was a great day.

The wind came in around 13:30 and we had 8-9 knots in the first race, then up to 12 knots at a moment between races, then 11-8 knots for the second race and 7-8 knots for the "DHL Coastal Race" (as DHL is one of the sponsors of the RC 44 circuit).
We got third in the first race in a very tight race all the way around with Artemis and No Way Back. At the finish line, the three of us were overlapped and we came out of it third with Artemis fourth.
I honestly can't even remember who won that race. Maybe TeamAqua. Then in the second race, we had a nice start and decent windward leg to round 4th. Down the run we made some good choices, passed third and second, and got to the gate at the same time as Cereef who had been leading.
Cereef was on starboard and we were on port as we approached. As we were laying the left gate mark, we slowed to let them go ahead. We were not sure which mark they were intending to go to but when they crossed our line and kept going, so we assumed they were going to the other mark. So we went behind them and toward the mark just then they gybed just to leeward of us.
We were instantly overlapped on the inside with no way to get out. They protested us for taking room at the mark. The umpires ruled that we fouled Cereef so we had to take a penalty turn. Then while completing that penalty turn, as we were winding back up onto the wind, Artemis was approaching, yelling and screaming, and they protested us for making them tack before we were finished with the penalty (totally on the wind). Both penalties were probably correct. So we went from 2nd to last, but hung tough on the second lap and passed three boats to finish seventh.
Then in the DHL race, we had a good start and worked the middle left of the course initially. A lot of the fleet really wanted to go to the right next to The Palm. We felt there was more pressure out to the left but the wind would eventually go right. Tricky. All these races have been tricky.
Anyway, we were about 7th and then we got a break and ducked through a small hole in the traffic and popped out in a strong position for fourth. We defended that position as the course wound right around The Palm and up to the Atlantis Hotel. We set spinnakers up there and reached and then ran back to the harbor. The race was shortened as the sun was going down so we finished in 4th. And that race counted double.
So we now sit in 4th place for the fleet racing, 3 points out of 3rd and 3 points ahead of 5th. Still plenty of points to be had out there as racing continues tomorrow.

Fleet race, provisional results after four races:
Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results (DHL Trophy double points regatta in bold), total number of points
1) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 3, 3, 4, 1, 2, 4, 2 - 19 points
2) Artemis, Tim Snedden, 5, 2, 1, 3, 4, 5, 10 - 30 points
3) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 9, 7, 2, 2, 8, 3, 4 - 35 points
4) Team Katusha, Bob Little, 4, 9, 5, 6, 3, 7, 8 - 42 points
5) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 8, 8, 7, 7, 1, 2, 12 - 45 points
6) BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton, 10, 6, 6, 8, 5, 6, 6 - 47 points
7) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 6, 1, 10, 9, 7, 1, 14 - 48 points
8) Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 1, 5, 3, 10, 6, 9, 20 - 54 points
9) Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 7, 4, 9, 5, 8, 8, 16 - 57 points
10) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero, 2, 10, 8, 4, 9, 10, 18 - 61 points

For more information go to www.rc44.com
Photos Copyright: Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association

The usual leaders of the RC 44 Class are back on top of the leader board in the fleet regatta after a difficult start and yesterdays’ unexpected results in the match race. Artemis and Team No Way Back lead the provisional ranking ahead of Team Sea Dubai and Team Aqua.

Four races took place today in a light and fairly unstable breeze, allowing four different teams to score victories. Artemis and Team Aqua, the two teams who lead the overall Championship Tour, needed a couple of races to get back in a confident mode after their disappointing results in the match race event. They finally showed their usual leadership in the fleet regatta in the second part of the day.
The first regatta saw a splendid domination by the local Team Sea Dubai, with their local talent Yousef Lahej at the helm. Starting at full speed at the pin end of the line, Team Sea Dubai managed to cross ahead of the pack and to extend its lead throughout the race, winning with a fairly comfortable margin ahead of Islas Canarias Puerto Calero and No Way Back. Respectively fifth and ninth, Artemis and Team Aqua were probably wondering at this stage if there was some sort of spell on them.
Artemis, with Tim Snedden at the helm, started its come back in the second race, sailing a good regatta although unable to overtake the excellent Team Austria, with René Mangold at the helm, winners of their first ever regatta in the Championship Tour. Chris Bake’s Team Aqua was still struggling in the back of the fleet at this stage, but the cheers that could be heard from his family and local supporters started to play their effect.
Indeed, Bake dominated most of the third regatta. The latter proved to be the best of the day, with a very intense battle between No Way Back, Artemis, Katusha, Team Sea Dubai and Team Aqua. Artemis finally won the race ahead of Aqua and Sea Dubai, very fast throughout the day. As for No way Back, with Pieter Heerema at the helm, it finished a good fourth after two thirds, sailing consistently and well throughout the day despite the helmsman’s cracked ribs…
The last race of the day had to be shortened: the wind was dropping and the sun was about to dive in the Ocean. No Way Back controlled the situation well, crossing the arrival line a few seconds ahead of Team Aqua and Artemis.
No Way Back and Artemis lead the provisional ranking after the first four races. The event carries on until Sunday, with eight more fleet races including the double points DHL Trophy on Saturday.

Fleet race, provisional results after four races:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, results, points)
1) Artemis, Tim Snedden, 5, 2, 1, 3 - 11 points
2) No Way Back, Pieter Heerema, 3, 3, 4, 1 – 11 points
3) Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, 1, 5, 3, 10 – 19 points
4) Team Aqua, Chris Bake, 9, 7, 2, 2 – 20 points
5) Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero, 2, 10, 8, 4 - 24 points
6) Team Katusha, Bob Little, 4, 9, 5, 6 – 24 points
7) Organika, Maciej Nawrocki, 7, 4, 9, 5 - 25 points
8) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 6, 1, 10, 9 - 26 points
9) BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton, 10, 6, 6, 8 – 30 points
10) Ceeref, Igor Lah, 8, 8, 7, 7 – 30 points
Photo Copyright Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association

Η Ελληνική κλάση Platu25 και ο Ιστιοπλοϊκός Όμιλος Πειραιώς διοργανώνουν από τις 18 μέχρι τις 20 Δεκεμβρίου αγώνα ιστιοπλοϊκών μονομαχιών “Platu25 Match Race”.

Οι δέκα καλύτερες Ελληνικές ομάδες και δύο από το εξωτερικό έχουν ήδη δηλώσει συμμετοχή και υπόσχονται “θεαματικές μάχες” στα νερά του Φαλήρου.
Τα πληρώματα απαρτίζονται από Ολυμπιονίκες, Παγκόσμιους και Ευρωπαϊκούς πρωταθλητές γεγονός που εγγυάται εντονότατο ανταγωνισμό!
Οι ιστιοπλοϊκές μονομαχίες είναι ένα ιδιαίτερο είδος αγώνα όπου μονομαχούν ζευγάρια ομάδων σε ένα είδος αποκλεισμού έως τον τελικό αγώνα των δύο πιο ισχυρών. Το Match Race επιτρέπει την εύκολη παρακολούθηση ενός πολύ απαιτητικού αθλήματος ακόμα και από θεατές που δεν έχουν σχέση με την ιστιοπλοΐα.
photo credit: jrenedo/sailingstock.com
Το χαρακτηριστικό που κάνει όμως αυτού του είδους τους αγώνες μοναδικούς είναι το γεγονός ότι διεξάγονται πάρα πολύ κοντά στην στεριά και διαρκούν μικρό χρονικό διάστημα. Έτσι γίνονται ευχάριστοι και συναρπαστικοί στο κοινό που παρακολουθεί ζωντανά.
Οι ιστιοπλοϊκές Μονομαχίες, αναμένονται να προσφέρουν ένα μοναδικό θέαμα για όσους αποφασίσουν να περάσουν ένα συναρπαστικό απόγευμα στην ταράτσα του Ιστιοπλοϊκού Ομίλου.
photo credits: www.allen.gr
Οι έμπειροι διοργανωτές με την βοήθεια σχολιαστή όπου θα εξηγεί τι ακριβώς θα διαδραματίζεται στη θάλασσα σε συνδυασμό με γραφική απεικόνιση σε plasma οθόνες και συνοδεία δυνατής μουσικής εγγυώνται ένα αξέχαστο Σαββατοκύριακο!
Notice of the race

The Slovenian team Ceeref, with Rod Davis at the helm for this regatta, wins the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup match race ahead of the fantastic Spaniards on board Islas Canarias Puerto Calero.

Ceeref also conquers the season title ahead of a disappointed Dean Barker, on board Artemis, ninth of the event... more.
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Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup - Match-race final results:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)
1) CEEREF, Rod Davis, 4 points
2) Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, José Maria Ponce, 3 points
3) Organika, Karol Jablonski, 3 points
4) No Way Back, Ray Davies, 2 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, Morgan Larson, 1,5 points (including 0,5 point penalty)
6) Team Katusha, Paul Cayard, 1 point (including 2 points penalty)
7) Team Austria, Christian Binder, 1 point
8) Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser, 1 point
9) Artemis, Dean Barker, 1 point
10) Team Aqua, Cameron Appleton, -2 points (including 3 points penalty)

RC 44 Championship Tour, Match-race final results 2009:
(Ranking, name of team, points)
1) CEEREF, 13 points
2) No Way Back, 20 points
3) Organika, 24 points
4) Artemis, 27 points
5) BMW ORACLE Racing, 28 points
6) Islas Canarias Puerto Calero, 29 points
7) Team Aqua, 32 points
8) Katusha, 45 points
9) Team Sea Dubai, 45 points
10) Team Austria, 51 points
11) Jelik, 65 points

πηγή: Έρυτος 2 Cosmote

Η αγωνιστική χρονιά έφτασε στο τέλος της για την ομάδα του Έρυτος 2 Cosmote με τρεις πολύ καλές εμφανίσεις!
Πιο συγκεκριμένα, το Έρυτος 2 Cosmote κατέλαβε την 2η θέση στον αγώνα Φάληρο-Φλέβες-Φάληρο, την 3η στον αγώνα Φάληρο-Κασίδι-Φάληρο (με μαθητές του αγωνιστικού τμήματος της ΣΧ.ΑΝ.ΘΑΛ. του Ν.Ο.Π.Φ.) και την 2η θέση στον τελευταίο αγώνα του Χειμερινού Κυπέλλου.
Η σταθερότητα και η αγωνιστική συνέπεια καθ' όλο το 2009, τους έφερε στην 1η θέση του ranking list Σαρωνικού στην κατηγορία ORCi, επιβραβεύοντας τις προσπάθειες όλης της ομάδας.
Δείτε περισσότερα για την ομάδα: http://www.cosmoteerytos2.gr/

Συγχαρητήρια στον Κώστα και στο πλήρωμα του!

Χωρίς αέρα ιστιοπλοϊκοί αγώνες δε γίνονται, έτσι λοιπόν ακυρώθηκαν οι σημερινοί αγώνες του πρωταθλήματος RC44 στο Dubai.
Ο δυνατός αέρας (Shaman) που τις τελευταίες μέρες επικρατούσε έκοψε και η θαλάσσια αύρα δεν "έστρωσε" ακόμα.
Ο πρόεδρος της Επιτροπής Αγώνα Peter “Luigi” Reggio έμεινε όλη μέρα στη θάλασσα ψάχνοντας για αέρα, αλλά εις μάτην. Οι αγώνες Match Racing θα γίνουν αύριο σύμφωνα με το πρόγραμμα.
http://www.rc44.com/en/

The World Sailing Speed Record Council announces the ratification of a new World Record
Yacht: l'Hydroptere
Name: Alain Thebault FRA and a crew of 10
Dates: 8th November 2009
Start time: 09:59:27,3
Finish time: 10:00:39,1
Elapsed time: 71.8 seconds
Distance: 1853.81 meters
Current variation: .02 knots
Wind speed/direction: 30 - 35 kts - 280 degrees
Average speed: 50.17 knots
Previous record: 48.74 knots by Hydroptere 04/09/09

John Reed, Secretary to the WSSRC

The Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup practice race took place in spectacular conditions this afternoon. Making the best of the big surf, Team Aqua, Team Austria and BMW ORACLE Racing dominated the opposition.
The RC 44 Championship Tour final event started today with the practice race. The conditions were absolutely perfect, with 15 knots of breeze and a big swell. “This particular wind is very rare in Dubai”, commented the Regatta Chief Executive Saeed Harib during the event’s opening press conference this morning. “It was blowing last time the RC 44’s were in Dubai, and it is there again today. I think the Class has taken a subscription.”

Starting perfectly at the Committee boat end of the line and tacking immediately to the right of the course, Team Austria - helmed by René Mangold - dominated most of the race, giving the victory away to Team Aqua and BMW ORACLE Racing in the last gibe. The Team from the UAE chose not to cross the line, letting the Americans win the regatta. Unfortunately, the forecast for the coming days isn’t as good and the usual sea breeze should be back.
Ten RC 44 one-designs representing nine nations are competing this week for the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup and the season’s overall trophies. Organized by Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC), the event starts tomorrow and Thursday with a full match race round robin and carries on until Sunday with the fleet regatta. The points will count for double.
Talking about their strategy for the event, both Dean Barker and Cameron Appleton – skippers of the two leading teams – said that they would sail their race without looking too much at their opponent. “We will sail this race like any other race”, commented Appleton. Barker replied: “We hope to be as lucky as we were last time.”
Skipper of the local entry Team Sea Dubai, Markus Wieser explained that his team had been training hard over the past few days and that he expects a good results, at least in the top five. “The pressure is on”, he concluded.

The teams involved: (Name of team, owner, pro sailor)

• Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton
• Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Rod Davis
• Team Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser
• BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton / Ian Vickers
• Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski
• Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero / Jose Maria Ponce
• Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker
• No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies
• Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder
• Team Katusha, Paul Cayard / Bob Little

Photos Copyright: Raffaello Bastiani / RC44 Class Association

Press Release

It is with great pleasure to accept the news that Dimitri Nicolopoulos and Sotiris Buseas have been nominated as Men of the Year in International Greeks and Manager categories respectively.
Sotiris and Dimitris met on October 22nd 2005 and in the following day along with Olympic Gold Medalist Sofia Bekatorou sailed on an America’s Cup Class yacht for the first time in the history of Greek Sailing as guests of the 32nd AC team K-Challenge.
That first contact with the AC world of sailing was the defining moment of the later CEO of GREEK CHALLENGE to envision the creation of Greek Challenge and attempt years later for the first time to challenge for the 33rd AC and participate in the LVPS with great results and creating the basis for the future development of the team.
Dimitri has supported every effort of GREEK CHALLENGE and Sotiris way before anything was made public and after Dimitri had received a lot of members of our team to the Areva Challenge base in Valencia.
Sotiris Buseas stated “Our friendship with Dimitri is fundamental and sealed the participation of our team in the
LVPS earlier this year. Looking forward to the next edition of Multichallenger AC in order to join forces again on sporting level. Our common nomination honours our hard work and vision for the first ever AC challenger from Greece. Furthermore, I cannot notice that in this interesting list of nominations, GC is the only company / team that two of its members have been recognized separately. 2010 will be a defining year for our campaign and looks promising that Dimitri may design the first ever AC Class yacht to be built in Greece”.
Dimitri Nicolopoulos stated “I am very honoured to be nominated in Status Magazine Men of the year list.
Being nominated for my work on the America's Cup and high level sailing engineering and design is even more meaningful to me as the sea is so important to the Greeks all around the world. I wish that the story that started in 2005 with my friends of Greek Challenge will carry on. Our common dream is, one day, to win the America's Cup and bring it back to the homeland of the sea: Greece”.
Greek Challenge hopes that all our friends and supporters will vote for our members by December 8th 2009.
Information on how to participate in the voting process could be found in the November edition of STATUS magazine circulating in Greece.

Greek Challenge
Sail with your heart … win with your mind
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More Info:
Greek Challenge: www.greekchallenge.com

ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ
ΜΟΝΑΧΙΚΟΣ ΑΓΩΝΑΣ-ΣΠΥΡΟΣ ΤΣΙΚΛΗΤΗΡΑΣ
Την Κυριακή 29-11-2009, ώρα 10:00 θα διεξαχθεί ο Ιστιοπλοϊκός Αγώνας Ανοιχτής Θάλασσας «ΜΟΝΑΧΙΚΟΣ ΑΓΩΝΑΣ-ΣΠΥΡΟΣ ΤΣΙΚΛΗΤΗΡΑΣ» στο στίβο του Πατραϊκού Κόλπου. Τα χρήματα που θα συγκεντρωθούν από τις συμμετοχές στον αγώνα θα διατεθούν στο Σύλλογο Γονέων Ατόμων με Νοητική Υστέρηση «ΟΙ ΜΑΧΗΤΕΣ».

Από το Δ.Σ. του Ι.Ο.Πάτρας (www.sailingclub.gr)

Πηγή: Greek Challenge

Dear Friends and Supporters,
Greek Challenge will be holding a open discussion regarding the 34th AC and our team's participation in it. Athletes that are interested to get involved or would like to voice their opinion should participate. This is the first of three meetings to take place before our team's participation at World Yachting Racing Forum on December 10 and the scope is that the opinions of the sailing community to be heard at the forum.

The first meeting will take place at the NAUTICAL CLUB of THESSALONIKI at 4pm on the 26th of November.
The next meetings will take place in Athens and Kalamata next week and will notify you of the dates and place ASAP.

Looking forward to your participation.
GREEK CHALLENGE

We have had two days of training here in Dubai on Katusha. Today was a very good day with wind speeds up to 14 knots. The boats were surfing downwind and there was plenty of action.

We trained with Aqua most of the day. We had about eight match race starts and three races with them. They had the upper hand on us all day, but we learned a lot. We have two new crew members for this regatta, Bob Little who will be our fleet racing helmsman and match racing tactician and Alan "Buddah" Nakanishi who is helping Robbie with the trimming of the kite and the jib. Alan is from Hawaii and been around as long as I have.
The remainder of the crew includes: Morgan Gutenkunst on the bow, Sander van der Borsch in the pit, Tahito Sanchez (mainsheet assist), Robbie Naismith (genoa-spinnaker trim), Jared Henderson (cockpit), Marco Constant (mainsheet) and me steering in the match racing and tactician in the fleet racing.
I took a few photos at the airport and around the Dubai International Marine Club which is hosting the Gold Cup. The airport is HUGE! You would think Dubai is the hub of the world with how many flights and people pass through here. I was here a few times 5 and 6 years ago and I can tell you that all those building behind the Yacht Club were not here as well as most of the other structures near the marina. We are just in front of The Palm and it is still under going massive construction. You wonder who is going to buy all these places.
The forecast for tomorrow is even more wind, maybe up to 20 knots, from the Northwest, then easing for the rest of the week. Hopefully not too much easing.
For more information go to www.rc44.com

Tied up alongside in the port of Cape Town since Saturday, Groupama 3 certainly isn't being left in peace, far from it in fact. Barely had she reached the dock, then the shore crew managed by Yann Mérour, all of whom had made the trip down from Lorient, had taken control of matters with the assistance of the sailors.

Structural analysis of the damage and observations made on site by composite specialists, confirm that it will indeed take a week's work before Groupama 3 can head out to sea again, bound for Brest, for a new stand-by period set to begin on 1st January 2010.
Benefiting from the technical means available in the Shosholoza base (a team which participated in the 32nd edition of the America's Cup), Pierre Tissier, Sandy Blanalt, Sarah Lynch and Eric Beylot are all working on Groupama 3's port float. In a dry, oppressive heat, which is favourable for working on carbon, they have begun by cutting out the faulty bulkhead and then constructing its replacement: "It's never easy to work in such a confined space. Luckily this bulkhead is very close to the access hatch though. This enables us to poke our heads out into the fresh air on a regular basis. It certainly is hot though!" says Eric Beylot, who is almost missing the gloomy weather reigning back home in Brittany.
Having made the journey down from Johannesburg, three infra-red analysis specialists have inspected the affected zone without finding any side-effects. This is a good thing according to the skipper of Groupama 3, who only rarely leaves his telephone, as he's in regular contact with his design office, the architects from the VPLP and HDS: "By running the data through their computers again, they've realised that the load case which concerns us today was not intended to exceed six tonnes. The sailing conditions we endured very certainly produced greater stresses than that. This is why we're also going to reinforce the equivalent bulkhead on the starboard float" explains Franck.
As far as the rest of Groupama 3 is concerned though, she's in perfect condition, ready to head back out to sea and set off once again to tackle this famous Jules Verne Trophy record, the value of which can now be appreciated even more: "It's clear that in order to stand a chance of beating it, we're going to have to go fast. We're also going to have to go far, which we haven't managed to do to date. It's now down to us to prove we're capable of that. From the moment the damage occurred, the whole crew have expressed their commitment to this. I'm proud of them and also proud of Groupama 3, which is an excellent boat. The same goes for my loyal partner, Groupama who, once again, are giving us their support in what is a difficult time" concludes Franck Cammas.
During this time, the rest of the crew are rinsing off the deck fittings and foulies, tidying up their `home' and inspecting the deck from top to toe. Certain lines, such as those which control the descent and rise of the foils, are worn and have been replaced. When it's time for lunch, conversations regularly revolve around the anecdotes experienced during the first 11 days of this Jules Verne Trophy attempt. These are always coloured by laughter which demonstrates, if there were a need, the extent of the bond between the ten crew, who together form a great team.

Find all the latest news from the Groupama trimarans at: www.cammas-groupama.com

Σήμερα η ομάδα AYRE Challenge ανακοίνωσε την συμμετοχή της για τις επόμενες τρεις εκδόσεις του Volvo Ocean Race.

Ο Pedro Perelló, ιδρυτής και CEO του AYRE Challenge, δημιουργεί μια ομάδα που θα ξεκινήσει από το επόμενο VOR 2011, θα συμμετάσχει σίγουρα σε άλλα δυο το 2014 και το 2017 και θα επεκταθεί παράλληλα και σε άλλες κλάσεις και άλλες μορφές ιστιοπλοϊκών αγώνων.
Ο Augusto Sanguinetti, στην συνέντευξη τύπου έδωσε μερικές τεχνικές λεπτομέρειες για το project. Είπε ότι θα κατασκευάσουν ένα νέο σκάφος VO70 σύμφωνα με τις αλλαγές του κανονισμού. Το σκάφος θα φτιαχτεί στην περιοχή της Βαλένθια μέσα στο 2010 και ο κατασκευαστής θα είναι ο Richard Gillies. Όσον αφορά τον σχεδιαστή του σκάφους τους είπε ότι μελετάνε δυο διαφορετικά σχέδια από δυο σχεδιαστές διεθνούς φήμης και η τελική απόφαση για τον σχεδιαστή θα παρθεί μέσα στο 2009.
Η ομάδα θα έχει δυο βάσεις μια στη Βαλένθια όπου θα είναι και τα κεντρικά τους γραφεία και μια στην στην πλευρά του Ατλαντικού όπου θα είναι η αγωνιστική τους βάση.
Σκοπός της ομάδας είναι να έχει τρεις ανθρώπους κλειδιά, τον κυβερνήτη και δυο συγκυβερνήτες που θα είναι υπεύθυνοι για την επιλογή του πληρώματος και το στήσιμο της ομάδας.
Η αντίστροφη μέτρηση για το 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race για την ομάδα AYRE Challenge μόλις άρχισε.
http://www.ayrechallenge.com

The build up for the Sea Dubai RC44 Gold Cup is almost done, the boats are on the water and teams are out practicing and the race starts on Wednesday 25 November.

Two teams, Aqua (UAE) and Ceeref (SLO) have raced in Dubai before and it is the home of Team Sea Dubai, but to the other seven competing teams it will be a totally new platform and challenge.
The arrival of two boats in March 2006 in Dubai International Marine Club marked the first ever event of RC44 Class and then in 2007 eight boats returned to complete the first Championship with UAE based Team Aqua winning the top prize. Owned by local businessman Chris Bake who teamed up with pro skipper Cameron Appleton, Team Aqua has had considerable success and sits well placed for a good result when the Championship ends on November 29.
Team Ceeref have also had a good run, joining half way through the 2007 season they went on to take a second place overall in 2008 and owner Igor Lah is in a good position in the present tour with pro skipper Sebastien Col.
Team Sea Dubai is owned by Dubai International Marine Club with pro skipper Markus Wieser at the helm. Markus is fuelled from his recent win with Sea Dubai teammate Matti Paschen in the Dragon European Championships in St. Tropez. The team has been practicing daily and making good use of the time running up to the start of the competition.
The first match race round will be at 11:30 on Wednesday 25th.

Ten teams representing nine Countries will participate in the Sea Dubai RC 44 Gold Cup:

1. Team Aqua, Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton (UAE),
2. Team Ceeref, Igor Lah / Rod Davis (SLO),
3. Sea Dubai, Yousef Lahej, DIMC / Markus Wieser (UAE),
4. BMW ORACLE Racing, Neville Crichton / Russell Coutts (USA),
5. Team Organika, Maciej Nawrocki / Karol Jablonski (POL),
6. Puerto Calero Islas Canarias, Daniel Calero / Jose Maria Ponce (SPA),
7. Artemis, Torbjorn Tornqvist / Dean Barker (SWE),
8. No Way Back, Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies (NED),
9. Team Austria, René Mangold / Christian Binder AUS),
10. Team Katusha, Bob Little / Paul Cayard (RUS).

Photo credit: Loris von Siebentha
http://www.rc44.com/en/

Ο αγώνας Solidaire Du Chocolat είναι ο πρώτος αγώνας που γίνετε μεταξύ της Γαλλίας και του Μεξικού. Ο συγκεκριμένος αγώνας δεν είναι μόνο ένα ιστιοπλοϊκό γεγονός που γίνετε με σκάφη Open 40, με πλήρωμα δυο ατόμων, και καλύπτουν την διαδρομή που ακολουθούσαν τα εμπορικά πλοία που μετέφεραν κακάο από τον Νέο Κόσμο στην Ευρώπη, αλλά έχει και έναν ακόμα φιλανθρωπικό χαρακτήρα.

Κάθε σκάφος τρέχει με τα χρώματα μιας φιλανθρωπικής οργάνωσης και τα πληρώματα θα γίνουν πρεσβευτές του εκάστοτε σωματείου για ένα φιλανθρωπικό έργο.
Η επιτυχία του αγώνα έγκειται στο γεγονός ότι ο χορηγός κάθε σκάφους δώρησε το πόσο των 25.000 ευρώ στην προώθηση του φιλανθρωπικού έργου που θα υποστηρίξουν τα πληρώματα.
Στον Αγώνα συμμετέχουν 25 σκάφη με πληρώματα από 11 διαφορετικές χώρες.
ΠΕΡΙΓΡΑΦΗ ΑΓΩΝΑ:

• Ένα φθινοπωρινό πέρασμα του Ατλαντικού που θα γίνεται κάθε δυο χρόνια
• Ένας αγώνας δυο ατόμων χωρίς στάση
• Εκκίνηση 18 Οκτωβρίου 2009 από την Nantes-Saint-Nazaire
• Τερματισμός στο Progreso (in Yucatan, Mexico)
• 5.000 νμ (9.260 km)

Σήμερα τερμάτισε και το τελευταίο σκάφος στο Μεξικό. Οι τρεις πρώτοι είναι οι εξής:
1. Το σκάφος Initiatives – Novedia με τους Tanguy De Lamotte και Adrien Hardy.
2. Το σκάφος Telecom Italia με τους Giovanni Soldini και Pietro D\'Ali
3. Το σκάφος Cheminées Poujoulat με τους Bruno Jourdren και Bernard Stamm
Αναλυτικά τα αποτελέσματα θα τα βρείτε εδώ.
Επίσημη Ιστοσελίδα: http://www.lasolidaireduchocolat.com/en

Test event for the World University Match Race 2010:

Αποτελέσματα από τον αγώνα match race που έγινε στο Γάζι κοντά στο Ηράκλειο από τις 20 μέχρι τις 22 Νοεμβρίου.
Ο αγώνας αποτελεί δοκιμαστική διοργάνωση για το World University Match Race 2010 που θα γίνει στο Ηράκλειο τον Ιούλιο.
Οι συμμετοχές ήταν πολλές και σημαντικές με μερικούς από τους καλύτερους Έλληνες ιστιοπλόους να δίνουν το παρόν.
Δύο Γάλλοι, ο Rolland Gallot και ο Alain Lembellieut μαζί με τον Ανδρέα Κοσματόπουλο ήταν οι umpires, Race officer ήταν η Μαρίνα Ψυχογιού, με βοηθό τη Μαριάννα Κυριακίδη.
Οι αγώνες έγιναν με 6 σκάφη J 24 που είχαν προσφέρει ιδιοκτήτες από το Ηράκλειο και τα Χανιά. Εκτός από τους καταξιωμένους ιστιοπλόους αίσθηση προκάλεσε η εμφάνιση της ομάδας του πολύ νεαρού Μάνου Αγγελάκη από το Ηράκλειο. Εμφανής ήταν η βελτίωση των ομάδων από αγώνα σε αγώνα.
Τελικά στον τελικό έφτασαν οι ομάδες της Σοφίας Μπεκατώρου και του Στρατή Ανδρεάδη, με μεγάλη νικήτρια την Σοφία Μπεκατώρου. Την τρίτη θέση πήρε η ομάδα του Αλέξανδρου Ταγαρόπουλου, που στο τέλος Οκτώβρη είχε κερδίσει την 1η θέση στο Πανευρωπαϊκό Πρωτάθλημα J24 που έγινε στη Σούδα της Κρήτης.

photo credits: Μαριάννα Κυριακίδη

Αναλυτικά Αποτελέσματα Διοργάνωσης:
STAGE 1 RESULTS
GROUP A
1. ELIAS KOVATZIS W 3 – L 1
2. ATHANASIOS PACHOUMAS W 3 – L 1
3. SOFIA BEKATOROU W 2 – L 2
4. MANOS AGGELAKIS W 2 – L 2
5. MICHALIS EKONOMOU W 0 – L 3
GROUP B
1= STRATIS ANDREADIS W 3 – L 1
1= ALEX TAGAROPOULOS W 3 – L 1
1= PANAGIOTS BARBOPOULOS W 3 – L 1
4. ARIS PALIKARIS W 1 – L 3
5. STAVROULA TSOUKALI W 0 – L 4
STAGE 2 RESULTS
1. SOFIA BEKATOROU W 5 – L 0
2. ELIAS KOVATZIS W 3 – L 2
3. STRATIS ANDREADIS W 3 – L 2
4. ALEX TAGAROPOULOS W 2 – L 3
5. PANAGIOTIS BARBOPOULOS W 1 – L 4
6. ATHANASIOS PACHOUMAS W 1 – L 4
SEMI FINALS RESULTS
SOFIA BEKATOROU – ELIAS KOVATZIS 2 – 0
ALEX TAGAROPOULOS – STRATIS ADREADIS 1 – 2
NINTH/TENTH PLACE RANKING MATCHES
STAVROULA TSOUKALI – MICHALIS ECONOMOU 2 – 1
SEVEN/EIGHTH PLACE RANKING MATCHES
MANOS AGGELAKIS – ARIS PALIKARIS 2 – 0
FIFTH/SIXTH PLACE RANKING MATCHES
ATHANASIOS PAHOUMAS – PANAGIOTIS BARBOPOULOS 2 – 1
THIRD/FOURTH PLACE RANKING MATCHES
ALEX TAGAROPOULOS – ELIAS KOVATZIS 2 – 1
FINAL
SOFIA BEKATOROU – STRATIS ANDREADIS 2 – 0
FINAL RESULTS
1. SOFIA BEKATOROU
2. STRATIS ANDREADIS
3. ALEX TAGAROPOULOS
4. ELIAS KOVATZIS
5. ATHANASIOS PACHOUMAS
6. PANAGIOTIS BARBOPOULOS
7. MANOS AGGELAKIS
8. ARIS PALIKARIS
9. STAVROULA TSOUKALI
10. MICHALIS ECONOMOU

Azzurra scores 2-0 shut out of Emirates Team New Zealand to win Louis Vuitton Trophy.
The team from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda makes a triumphant return after a 22-year hiatus. Even before the Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Côte d’Azur began, Azzurra skipper Francesco Bruni spoke of his passion and honor to be leading an iconic sailing brand back into the fray after a long absence.

This afternoon he could barely describe his joy. Bruni and his Azzurra crew, including tactician Tommaso Chieffi, defeated Emirates Team New Zealand 2-0 in the Grand Final to win this match race regatta.
Azzurra, from the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, made its international sailing debut at the 1983 Louis Vuitton Cup but has been in hiatus since the 1987 event off Western Australia. The team was re-launched last month and today Azzurra won the first race by 25 seconds and the second by 17 for a well-deserved championship. “It’s an amazing sensation. I can’t find the words to describe it,” said Bruni, the 40-year-old skipper from Sicily. “We knew we could do a good job. We had very good training before the event. But we never thought about beating New Zealand in the final.”
Emirates Team New Zealand entered the final as the favourite. It won the round robin, suffering just one loss in 10 starts, and then defeated the upstart Synergy Russia Sailing Team in a hard-fought semi final match.
Team New Zealand has won many regattas this year, including the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in February and the TP52 World Championship in September. Today, however, the Kiwis lost the first cross in both races and could never find a way around the Italians on the short courses of less than 5 nautical miles. “I think we sailed well today but Azzurra was clearly better than us. They did everything right,” said Dean Barker, skipper of Emirates Team New Zealand. “Sometimes that’s just the way it is. You’re either in the right place or you’re not. Today Azzurra sailed very, very well.”
The two races were sailed early in the morning as the race committee was intent on deciding the regatta on the water and not on count-back, which might have happened if racing couldn’t be conducted. The best winds of this two-week event were often early in the morning, and today the first warning signal was sounded at 0800 CET, one hour earlier than scheduled.
The northwesterly wind blew between 6 and 10 knots for the two races and was very shifty and patchy. Pressure differences often accounted for different sailing angles as 1 or 2 knots more wind can lift a yacht as much as 10 degrees higher than its opponent.
Chieffi, who won the 1992 Louis Vuitton Cup as tactician of Il Moro di Venezia, thought the Kiwis’ success played against them in the final. “Beating Team Origin yesterday was a big plus for us; we’d done our share of work,” said Chieffi. “So we came in with smiley faces today despite the early morning. I could sense the Kiwis were more tense because they were the favourite; they were leading throughout the regatta. This played a role in our favour.”
The winning crew included skipper Bruni and tactician Chieffi, Tom Burnham (strategist), Bruno Zirilli (navigator), Daniele De Luca (mainsail trimmer), Stefano Rizzi (jib trimmer), Pierluigi De Felice (spinnaker trimmer), Gabriele Bruni (trimmer), Piero Romero (runner grinder), Nicola Pilastro (mainsail grinder), Massimo Galli (port grinder), Francesco Scalici (starboard grinder), Cristian Griggio (pitman), Luca Albarelli (mastman), Pietro Mantovani (mid-bow), Matteo Auguadro (bowman) and Michele Cannoni (pit assist).
Despite the win, Azzurra had its mishaps on the racecourse. The skipper and tactician both described three problems in the two races. In Race 1 a helicopter got too low to the water and disrupted the wind flow, reducing a four-boatlength lead to one. In the second race the crew didn’t judge a bias in the leeward gate. They made a starboard rounding, but the mark was farther downwind and again they gave away three boatlengths. The biggest mishap came at the top of the second beat in the second race. Approaching the windward mark on starboard tack with Team New Zealand two or three lengths behind, Mantovani, the mid-bowman, slipped overboard while preparing the spinnaker for the rounding. As the yacht sailed past the aft grinder, Romero, ran into the scoop and grabbed him out of the water “like a fish,” according to Bruni.
Chieffi said: “Even with the mishaps, the crew did a solid job to not lose concentration. Yes, we had five-boatlength leads, but one length is enough. The crew did an outstanding job keeping it calm, steady and tidy. We’re very pleased with the result.”

Louis Vuitton Trophy Nice Cote d’Azur Final Standings Team (Country) Skipper (Nationality) Won-Lost 1. Azzurra (ITA) Francesco Bruni (ITA), 11-5
2. Emirates Team New Zealand (NZL) Dean Barker (NZL), 11-4
3. Synergy Russia Sailing Team (RUS) Karol Jablonski (POL), 8-6
4. Team Origin (GBR) Ben Ainslie (GBR), 9-6
5. All4One (FRA/GER) Jochen Schumann (GER), 5-8
6. BMW Oracle Racing (USA) Hamish Pepper (NZL), 5-8
7. Artemis (SWE) Paul Cayard (USA), 5-7
8. TFS – PagesJaunes (FRA) Bertrand Pacé (FRA), 1-11
(Note: Won-lost records do not reflect penalties assessed by on-water umpires or the International Jury.)

Jules Verne Trophy 2009 - 2010

Groupama 3 arrived in Cape Town early this Saturday afternoon and immediately tied up alongside so as repairs could begin to reinforce the aft beams.
It was at around 1300 hours UTC that Franck Cammas and his nine crew made landfall after two weeks at sea: Groupama 3 had to abandon her Jules Verne Trophy record attempt on the eleventh day after breaking the port beam bulkhead.
As such it has taken five days for the giant trimaran to make South Africa where Groupama's shore crew were waiting to install a `floating' workshop, given that it won't be necessary to lift the boat out onto the hard. The giant trimaran is tied up to the pontoon at the Shosholoza base, which is the South African entry in the America's Cup.
After the gales which Groupama 3 had to avoid just after suffering damage, followed by the trade-winds fuelled by the Saint Helena High, which propelled her along towards Cape Town at over twenty knots, Franck Cammas and his men had to be towed in the last few miles as the engine had been left behind on leaving Brest on 5th November.
The wind totally dropped away as they approached port before picking up just enough to enable Groupama 3 to finish the journey under sail, although she had to sit out in the harbor for a while due to the shipping.
The crew were able to fill up on fresh produce the minute they arrived, prior to setting to work to get the trimaran back in shape in order to set sail for Brest during the first few days of December.
http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en/

Από σήμερα στην ISTiOSELIDA - All About Sailing θα ξεκινήσουμε μια νέα σειρά δημοσιεύσεων (βιογραφιών) που θα αναφέρονται σε σημαντικές προσωπικότητες της παγκόσμιας, αλλά και της Ελληνικής ιστιοπλοϊκής σκηνής. Σε τακτά διαστήματα θα παρουσιάζουμε μια βιογραφία που κατόπιν θα μπορείτε να ανατρέξετε σε αυτήν στην αντίστοιχη κατηγορία στο μενού του site, με το όνομα BIOGRAPHIES.

Την πρόταση για την δημιουργία αυτής της θεματικής ενότητας μας την έκανε ο Α. Κοσματόπουλος (φαντάζομαι δεν χρειάζεται περαιτέρω συστάσεις), ο οποίος και μας διαθέτει τα κείμενα του χωρίς καμία υποχρέωση, γιατί όπως και ο ίδιος είπε: "οι καλές ιστορίες είναι για να διαδίδονται...".
Θα ξεκινήσουμε λοιπόν τα βιογραφικά αφιερώματα με μια γυναίκα που έχει καταφέρει να γίνει ήδη θρύλος (όχι δεν εννοώ Ολυμπιακός...) με τις επικές επιτυχίες της παρά το νεαρό της ηλικίας της.
Πριν ξεκινήσουμε θα ήθελα να ευχαριστήσω δημόσια τον Ανδρέα για τη συμμετοχή του.

Ellen MacArthur - Η θαλασσόλυκος
Ποιος θα περίμενε ότι μία μικροκαμωμένη Βρετανίδα θα πετύχαινε το ρεκόρ διαδρομής στο γύρο του κόσμου. Η Ellen έφτασε σε αυτή την εκπληκτική επίδοση ξεκινώντας το ταξίδι της πολύ πιο πριν στην παιδική της φαντασία.
Η πρώτη φορά:
Όλα άρχισαν για την έφηβη Ellen όταν συνεπαρμένη από τις θαλασσινές ιστορίες και επιτεύγματα, άρχισε να οραματίζεται τις δικές τις περιπέτειες και τις εμπειρίες που θα ήθελε να γευτεί.
Γεννημένη στις 8 Ιουλίου του 1976 στο Whatstandwell, Derbyshire ξεκίνησε από τα εφηβικά της χρόνια να κάνει οικονομίες για ν’ αγοράσει το πρώτοι της σκάφος. Αν και δεν είχε κάνει ποτέ ιστιοπλοΐα, αν και η θάλασσα απείχε 200 χιλιόμετρα από το σπίτι της ‘κάτι’ την έσπρωχνε προς τους ωκεανούς. Η αποφασιστικότητα που τη χαρακτήριζε από μικρή αποτελούσε πλέον την κινητήριο δύναμη για να πετύχει τους στόχους της. Η Ellen δεν έθετε τον πήχη σε κάποιο όριο. Απλά ξεκίνησε να πραγματοποιεί τις επιθυμίες της. Έτσι μόλις το 1995, στα 19 της χρόνια ψηφίστηκε ως η νεότερη καλύτερη ιστιοπλόος της χρονιάς αφού κατάφερε μόνη της να ολοκληρώσει τον περίπλου της Μ. Βρετανίας με το 21 ποδιών σκάφος της Iduna. Χρειάστηκε σχεδόν πέντε μήνες για να ολοκληρώσει τον περίπλου. Όμως με την επιστροφή της ήδη σχεδίαζε το επόμενο μεγαλύτερο βήμα της. Απέστειλε πάνω από 2.500 επιστολές στην προσπάθειά της να βρει υποστηρικτές κι έλαβε μόνο δύο απαντήσεις. Αποφάσισε με ελάχιστα χρήματα να πάει στη Γαλλία και να συμμετάσχει στο Mini Transat, solo race από την Brest στην Μαρτινίκα το 1997. Η προσπάθειά της αυτή τράβηξε την προσοχή της Kingfisher που την υποστήριξε στο Route du Rhum transatlantic race το 1999 παραχωρώντας της ένα σκάφος 50 ποδιών.
Η Ellen δεν άφησε την ευκαιρία να πάει χαμένη. Κερδίζοντας την κλάση της και τερματίζοντας στην 5η θέση της γενικής κατάταξης βρήκε την υποστήριξη που επιζητούσε.
Η αποδοχή:
Η πρώτη φορά που έκανε αίσθηση σε παγκόσμιο επίπεδο με τις επιδόσεις την ήταν το 2001 όταν τερμάτισε δεύτερη στο μοναχικό γύρο του κόσμου "The Vendée Globe" με το σκάφος Kingfisher. Έχοντας πλέον την αναγνώριση και την οργάνωση που χρειαζόταν άρχισε να επεκτείνει και να πραγματοποιεί τα όνειρά της. Το 2003 με το Kingfisher 2 καταμαράν ιδιοκτησίας του Steve Fossett γνωστό και ως Orange τέθηκε επικεφαλής του πληρώματος και προσπάθησε να καταρρίψει το ρεκόρ του γύρου του κόσμου. Όμως το σπασμένο άλμπουρο στον Νότιο ωκεανό έβαλε τέλος στην ομαδική αυτή προσπάθεια.
Το ρεκόρ:
Το σκάφος B&Q/Castorama το 2004, σχεδιάστηκε ειδικά για την μικροκαμωμένη Ellen από τους Nigel Irens και Benoit Cabaret με στόχο να καταρρίψει όλα τα ρεκόρ. Το 23ων μέτρων τριμαράν κατασκευάστηκε στην Αυστραλία και η πρώτη προσπάθεια ήταν η κατάρριψη του διάπλου του Ατλαντικού από τα δυτικά στ’ ανατολικά. Μετά από επτά ημέρες στη θάλασσα η Ellen δεν έσπασε το ρεκόρ για κάτι περισσότερο από μία ώρα. Στις 28 Νοεμβρίου του 2004 ξεκίνησε την προσπάθειά κατάρριψης του ρεκόρ για τον γύρο του κόσμου χωρίς ενδιάμεση στάση αρμενίζοντας το τριμαράν B&Q/Castorama. Στις 7 Φεβρουαρίου, μετά από 71 ημέρες, 14 ώρες, 18 λεπτά και 33 δευτερόλεπτα τερματίζοντας κοντά στη Γαλλική ακτή Ushant κατέρριψε το προηγούμενο ρεκόρ του Γάλλου ιστιοπλόου Francis Joyon για μία ημέρα και 8 ώρες.
Το ίδρυμα:
Η Ellen προσφέρει και στο κοινωνικό σύνολο μέσω του ιδρύματός της. Το ίδρυμα Ellen MacArthur Trust όλο και δυναμώνει με συνέπεια πάνω από 350 παιδιά με καρκίνο ή λευχαιμία έχουν τη δυνατότητα κάθε χρόνο να μαθαίνουν ιστιοπλοΐα και ν΄ανακουφίζουν τον πόνο τους. Η Ellen αναφέρει το λόγο: «Δεν είμαι γενναία, απλά επιλέγω να κάνω πράγματα που με ωθούν στα όριά μου. Αυτό δεν είναι γενναιότητα, είναι επιλογή. Αληθινή γενναιότητα βρίσκεται σε αυτά τα παιδιά με λευχαιμία και καρκίνο που κάνουν ιστιοπλοΐα. Όταν δείτε τι έχουν ν’ αντιμετωπίσουν κάθε ημέρα με το χαμόγελο και τη θετική ενεργεία θα μάθετε τόσα πολλά όπως εγώ»
Η καταξίωση:
Με την επιστροφή της Ellen MacArthur στην Μ. Βρετανία της απονεμήθηκε ο τίτλος Dame Commander of the British Empire σε αναγνώριση των επιτευγμάτων της όπως και ο βαθμός του σημαιοφόρου στο Βασιλικό Ναυτικό.
Κατά την διάρκεια της απονομή της ISAF το 2007 και την είσοδό της στο Hall of Fame δίπλα στα ονόματα Paul Elvstrom, Eric Tabarly και Olen Stevens παίρνει το λόγο: «Δεν θα έπρεπε να τιμηθώ όταν παράλληλα με μένα τιμώνται τέτοιοι θρύλοι της θάλασσας και της ιστιοπλοΐας. Είμαι αρκετά νέα ακόμη και έχω πολλά να πετύχω»
Η συνέχεια:
Κανείς δεν μπορεί να γνωρίζει ποια θα είναι η συνέχεια ή ο στόχος που θα επιλέξει η Ellen. Με υποδειγματική πλέον οργάνωση και marketing είναι στην κορυφή και την δημοσιότητα. Κάπου στ’ ανοικτά όμως κάποιος θ’ αρμενίσει πιο γρήγορα και η Ellen το γνωρίζει και προετοιμάζεται.

Κείμενο: Α. Κοσματόπουλος - www.kosmatopoulos.gr
(Απαγορεύεται αναδημοσίευση του κειμένου μερική ή ολική χωρίς την άδεια του συγγραφέα)