A record seven flights got completed today in perfect conditions. BMW ORACLE Racing leads the provisional match race ranking with five points, ahead of Team Aqua and Team Sea Dubai (4 points).

Packed with protest flags, incidents and flogging sails, the first day of the RC 44 Austria Cup lived up to its promises. Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio decided to set up the course at the southern end of the lake, in search of a stronger breeze. The call proved right and the teams got blessed with a superb 10-15 knots very cold breeze blowing from the north.
The first flight of the day turned out to be a round of observation, with big distances between the boats and no serious incidents to report. But the situation rapidly changed, with the teams sailing more aggressively throughout the afternoon.
Photo: Copyright Gepa / Ralph Martin Fisher / RC44 Class – Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison’s BMW ORACLE Racing lead RC 44 Challenge, with James Spithill at the helm.
Absent from the Championship Tour since last year’s Portoroz Cup due to his America’s Cup commitments, Russell Coutts immediately confirmed that he hadn’t lost his magic touch, giving perfect advice to his helmsman Larry Ellison and winning his first three matches. The fourth one, against Paul Cayard’s Katusha, turned out to be the best one of the day, with the two teams staying in close contact throughout the race and inflicting each other all of match race’s dirty tricks. Paul Cayard won the match, but the duo Coutts / Ellison got its revenge in the next flight during another superb match, this time against James Spithill on board RC 44 Challenge.
Winner of the season’s first match race in the United Arab Emirates, Team Sea Dubai confirmed its great match race skills by winning four regattas today. Markus Wieser and his team are currently second of the provisional ranking, on a tie with Team Aqua. Also on great form, Cameron Appleton and his crewmembers could well be sitting on top of the leader board alongside BMW ORACLE Racing if they hadn’t lost a precious point to Islas Canarias Puerto Calero. After leading the entire race, Team Aqua was nearing the arrival line and only had a penalty turn to perform to grab the point. However, the exercise turned into a nightmare when the spinnaker fell in the water, stopping the boat and opening a precious gap for the Spaniards.
Five more flights will be sailed tomorrow, weather permitting. The forecast isn’t good; the temperature should drop whilst showers and light wind are predicted. Every new flight will be welcomed; however the tournament is already valid with the seven flights completed today.
They said: Russell Coutts, tactician, BMW ORACLE Racing: “I am really happy to be back on the Championship Tour. And obviously, it is good to be on top of the leader board. Larry also hugely enjoyed the day and had a great time. He likes this class very much and there is no doubt that we will see him a lot in the future.”
René Mangold, owner, AEZ RC 44 Sailing Team: “Our situation is quite different to the other team’s, who sail 300 days a year. We are pure amateurs; we have different jobs so it is difficult for us. As soon as we make a mistake we loose any chance to win a race. Our results today aren’t very good, but we hope to win several races in front of our public.”
James Spithill, helmsman, RC 44 Challenge: “This is one of the most beautiful venues that I know. Today’s races were great, but I am still a little bit rusty and not used to sailing monohulls anymore. Our team is also completely new, so we need to get used to sailing together.”
Paul Cayard, helmsman, Katusha: “We had a fantastic race against Russell, with many close situations, where he was yelling at me and trying to remind me how to sail well; he was probably quite right… I enjoyed today, and made the best of it because I am starting to know this lake: the conditions can change pretty quickly up here.”

Match-race, provisional results after seven flights:
(Ranking, name of team, helmsman, No of victories / defeats, points)
1) BMW ORACLE Racing (Russell Coutts / Larry Ellison), 5/1, 5 points
2) Team Aqua (Cameron Appleton), 4/1, 4 points
2) Team Sea Dubai (Markus Wieser), 4/1, 4 points
4) Katusha (Paul Cayard), 3/2, 3 points
4) Artemis (Terry Hutchinson), 3/3, 3 points
4) Team No Way Back (Morten Henricksen / Ray Davies), 3/3, 3 points
4) RC 44 Challenge (James Spithill), 3/3, 3 points
8) CEEREF (Rod Davis), 2/4, 2 points
9) Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (José Maria Ponce), 1/4, 1 point
10) AEZ RC 44 Sailing Team (Christian Binder), 0/6, 0 point
http://www.rc44.com/en/index.php

Σάββατο 08 Μαΐου 2010, Καθαρίζουμε τις ακτές του Λαυρίου...
Σας καλούμε όλους να συμμετάσχετε στον Κεντρικό Καθαρισμό της εκστρατείας «Καθαρίστε τη Μεσόγειο 2010», που θα πραγματοποιηθεί από το Δίκτυο ΜΕΣΟΓΕΙΟΣ SOS στις ακτές του Λαυρίου, το Σάββατο 8 Μαΐου 2010.
Ραντεβού στο Δημαρχείο Λαυρίου στις 10:00πμ (Κουντουριώτου 1, Δημοτική Μαρίνα Λαυρίου) για να συντονιστούμε και να μοιραστούμε στις ακτές Πουνταζέζα και Λιμάνι Ποσειδωνίας.
Παράλληλα με τον καθαρισμό της ακτής, θα επιχειρήσουμε καθαρισμό βυθού στη Μαρίνα Λαυρίου με την βοήθεια εθελοντών δυτών, ενώ επιπλέον θα πραγματοποιηθεί λήψη εικόνων από τις «χωματερές» του βυθού, με χρήση Κατευθυνόμενου Υποβρύχιου Οχήματος (R.O.V.) με τη συνεργασία του Εργαστηρίου Θαλάσσιας Γεωλογίας και Φυσικής Ωκεανογραφίας του Πανεπιστημίου Πατρών.
Δηλώστε έγκαιρα τη συμμετοχή σας συμπληρώνοντας την επισυναπτόμενη φόρμα συμμετοχής.
Όποιος επιθυμεί μπορεί να έρθει μαζί μας κλείνοντας θέση στο λεωφορείο που θα ξεκινήσει από το Πεδίο του Άρεως στις 09:00, για να μας μεταφέρει εκεί, δηλώνοντάς το στη σχετική φόρμα συμμετοχής και στέλνοντάς την είτε με e-mail στο events@medsos.gr, είτε μέσω fax στο 210-8228795, το αργότερο έως την Tετάρτη 5 Μαΐου.

Σας περιμένουμε με χαρά όλους εκεί !!!

Ο καθαρισμός πραγματοποιείται σε συνεργασία με το ΚΠΕ Λαυρίου, το Δήμο Λαυρεωτικής και το Λιμεναρχείο Λαυρίου.

Δίκτυο ΜΕΣΟΓΕΙΟΣ S.O.S
Μαμάη 3, ΑΘΗΝΑ 10440,
Τηλ./Φαξ: 210 8228795, 210 8224481
e-mail: info@medsos.gr
www.medsos.gr

Οι προετοιμασίες για την Κύθνο εντατικοποιούνται, πολλά σκάφη ακόμα δεν έχουν μπει σε αγωνιστική κατάσταση και τρέχουμε όλοι να προλάβουμε την Παρασκευή το απόγευμα να είμαστε στη γραμμή πανέτοιμοι.
Ο Βοριάς τουλάχιστον ως το Σάββατο φαίνεται να κρατάει καλά οπότε ας έχουμε όλοι το νου μας να μην θρηνήσουμε αλλά σπασμένα άλμπουρα, σχισμένα πανιά, άνθρωποι στη θάλασσα, κτλ.
Για να ζεσταινόμαστε λοιπόν, δείτε ένα βίντεο με ωραία κλασική μουσική και ήρεμη ιστιοπλοΐα...

Δημοσιεύθηκε ο πρώτος υπολογισμός κατάταξης για το 2010 για τα σκάφη ανοικτής θαλάσσης της περιοχής του Σαρωνικού στα ORCi & ORC Club, και στην επικράτεια για τα IRC.

Η βαθμολογία της κατάταξης υπολογίζεται σύμφωνα με τους κανονισμούς ranking list της Ε.Α.Θ. για σκάφη καταμετρημένα κατά ORC & IRC.

Ο ERYTOS II πρώτος στα ORCi, το BLUE PEARL στα IRC, και το GIORGIO στα ORC CLUB.
Δείτε αναλυτικά την κατάταξη στο site της Ε.Ι.Ο.

Ανακατατάξεις στα αποτελέσματα της Ελληνικής ομάδας. Στα laser και στα finn πέσαμε απο τις πρώτες θέσεις που βρίσκονταν οι αθλητές μας, αλλά στις υπόλοιπες κατηγορίες σιγά σιγά ανεβαίνουν οι ιστιοπλόοι μας.
Εντυπωσιακός ο Κοκκακλάνης στη 2η θέση στα RS:X.
Προσωρινά αποτελέσματα Ελληνικής Ομάδας:
470 Ανδρών (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 90):
06. Μάντης - Καγιαλής, (1, 4, 4, 25, BDF) = 34 βαθμούς
42. Σταύρου - Παπαδόπουλος, (18, 30, 20, 15, 28) = 81 βαθμούς
49. Καβάς - Ορφανός, (16, 19, 39, 23, 12) = 70 βαθμούς
69. Καμπουρίδης - Ωρολογάς, (11, 15, BDF, 32, OCS) = 104 βαθμούς
75. Βεργινίαδης - Βλάχος (40, 31, 40, 34, 8) = 113 βαθμούς
Finn Results (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 51)
13. Μιτάκης, (2, 8, 11, 30, DNF) = 51 βαθμούς
RS:X Men (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 71):
02. Κοκκαλάνης, (5, 9, 2, 4, 1, 1) = 13 βαθμούς
40. Λεονέττι, (24, 23, 15, 9, 6, 8) = 61 βαθμούς
42. Φράγκος, (20, 27, 14, 18, 2, 12) = 66 βαθμούς
49er (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 58):
15. Δήμου - Πατενιώτης, (10, 10, 7, 3, 14, 20) = 44 βαθμούς
Laser STD (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 141):
19. Κάτσιος (8, 11, 30, 17, 10, 11) = 57 βαθμούς
23. Χειμώνας, (2, 2, 15, 20, 30, 45) = 69 βαθμούς
51. Μπούτρης (1, 34, 27, 19, 2, 22) = 71 βαθμούς
68. Χρυσός, (12, 22, 29, 29, BDF, 7) = 99 βαθμούς
Star (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 07):
04. Παπαθανασίου - Δραγούτσης, (6, 6, 2, 1, 7) = 15 βαθμούς
470 Γυναικών (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 44):
34. Κραβαριώτη - Τσιγαρίδη (32, 24, 32, 19, 30) = 105 βαθμούς
RS:X Γυναικών (Discards: 1) (σύνολο σκαφών 39):
15. Σκαρλάτου, (26, 15, 22, 8, 12) = 57 βαθμούς
Laser RDL (Discards: 0) (σύνολο σκαφών 80):
27. Βλάχου, (19, 23, 8, 12) = 62 βαθμούς
Elliot 6m Match Race
Μπεκατώρου - Μαντζαράκη - Οινοκομοπούλου
Sonar (Discards: 0) (σύνολο σκαφών 9):
04. Χριστοφόρου - Αλεξάς - Νοτάρογλου (8, 1, 5) = 14 βαθμούς

http://sof.ffvoile.net/

With two weeks to go before the Portugal Trophy, Cascais, the first event of the 2010 Audi MedCup Circuit, Audi (AG) have confirmed today a new contender for the TP52 Series.
German multiple Olympic medallist Jochen Schümann and French campaigner Stéphane Kandler have joined forces launching Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE forming an international team comprising sailors from seven countries.

The Franco-German ALL4ONE squad was established originally by Stéphane Kandler and Jochen Schümann in September of 2009 and involves a number of international professional sailors: in addition to seven members from France and Germany, there are sailors from Spain, Italy, Australia, the Netherlands and Switzerland on board.
"We've been partnering with the Audi MedCup for several years now and are equally thrilled with the top-caliber sporting competition and the possibilities for presentations on water and along the coast", says Lothar Korn, AUDI AG Head of Marketing Communications.
The brand new AUDI - ALL4One (the 2008 Mean Machine - 2009 Valars) ready to get her red AUDI colors. Valencia, 28 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
"The additional support of the Franco-German boat now provides us with close links to the team and enables us to offer our guests and customers an unforgettable sporting experience."
The TP52 represents the Kieler Yacht Club (GER) and the Cercle de la Voile de Paris (FRA) and is currently located at its home yacht harbor in Valencia. From there, the yacht will be taken directly to the Audi MedCup season opener to be staged in Cascais (Portugal) from May 11 to 16.
"This is great news for the Circuit, not just because we see an increase in terms of entries, but also because of the rise in quality of team competitiveness," said Audi MedCup Circuit Director, Ignacio Triay, today.
The brand new AUDI - ALL4One (the 2008 Mean Machine - 2009 Valars) ready to get her red AUDI colors. Valencia, 28 April 2010. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing
Audi A1 Team powered by ALL4ONE means the first French team in the history of the Audi MedCup, and the combination of Jochen Schümann and Stéphane Kandler promises to prove tough competition for the other 10 teams.
According to the official announcement, ALL4ONE will not only contest the five regattas of the Audi MedCup between May and September but also the TP52 World Championships in October.
http://www.medcup.org

Προσωρινά αποτελέσματα Ελληνικής Ομάδας:
470 Ανδρών (σύνολο σκαφών 90):
02. Μάντης - Καγιαλής, (1, 4, 4) = 9 βαθμούς
48. Σταύρου - Παπαδόπουλος, (18, 30, 20) = 72 βαθμούς
53. Καμπουρίδης - Ωρολογάς, (11, 15, BDF) = 72 βαθμούς
56. Καβάς - Ορφανός, (16, 19, 39) = 74 βαθμούς
83. Βεργινίαδης - Βλάχος (40, 31, 40) = 111 βαθμούς
Finn (σύνολο σκαφών 52):
02. Μιτάκης, (2, 8) = 10 βαθμούς
RS:X Men (σύνολο σκαφών 71):
06. Κοκκαλάνης, (5, 9, 2, 4) = 20 βαθμούς
37. Λεονέττι, (24, 23, 15, 9) = 71 βαθμούς
42. Φράγκος, (20, 27, 14, 18) = 79 βαθμούς
49er (σύνολο σκαφών 58):
20. Δήμου - Πατενιώτης, (10, 10) = 20 βαθμούς
Laser STD (σύνολο σκαφών 141):
06. Χειμώνας, (2, 2, 15) = 19 βαθμούς
32. Κάτσιος (8, 11, 30) = 49 βαθμούς
51. Μπούτρης (1, 34, 27) = 62 βαθμούς
54. Χρυσός, (12, 22, 29) = 63 βαθμούς
Star (σύνολο σκαφών 07):
07. Παπαθανασίου - Δραγούτσης, (6, 6, 2) = 14 βαθμούς
470 Γυναικών (σύνολο σκαφών 44):
31. Κραβαριώτη - Τσιγαρίδη (32, 24) = 56 βαθμούς
RS:X Γυναικών (σύνολο σκαφών 39):
19. Σκαρλάτου, (26, 15, 22) = 63 βαθμούς
Laser RDL (σύνολο σκαφών 80):
28. Βλάχου, (19, 23, 8) = 50 βαθμούς
Elliot 6m Match Race
Μπεκατώρου - Μαντζαράκη - Οινοκομοπούλου
Sonar (σύνολο σκαφών 9):
04. Χριστοφόρου - Αλεξάς - Νοτάρογλου (8, 1, 5) = 14 βαθμούς
http://sof.ffvoile.net/

Video Source: AdonnanteTv

source: cayard website
After a quick trip to Moscow on Sunday and Sochi yesterday, to work on a Russian Louis Vuitton Trophy event in 2011, I arrived in Austria late last night.
Gmunden and its Lake Traunsee is the site of the second event on the RC 44 Championship Tour of 2010.

Lake Traunsee is spectacularily beautiful with 2000 meter mountains rising right up out of the lake. There is still snow in those mountains so it is not the normal sailing scenery. The tall mountains do make it challenging for the wind. Today was our first training day on Katusha.
The sailing was sporadic as the wind filled first at the south end of the lake then died there and filled at the north end, albeit from the south.
Team Katusha (RUS) skippered by Paul Cayard (USA) © Nico Martinez / RC44 Class
We trained with our partners on Artemis. I felt a bit rusty, probably the 30 hours of flying since Saturday didn't help.
Tomorrow is the weigh-in so sauna first thing as we need to drop 15 kgs as a team. Then another training day, then we will get the match racing part of the event underway on Thursday.
The fleet racing will start on Sunday and the event concludes on Tuesday the 4th. Ten teams are here including two teams from America's Cup winner BMW Oracle.
Skipper Larry Ellison with tactician Russell Coutts were out training today, as were 9 of the 10 teams.
For more information and complete results go to www.rc44.com

The RC 44 Austria Cup will take place on April 29 – May 4. The level of the Tour is such that it is impossible to name a favourite.

The second regatta of the RC 44 Championship Tour 2010 will begin on Thursday, April 29, on Lake Traunsee, in Austria.
Photo: Copyright Maria Rambuske - GEPA / RC 44 – The RC 44 Austria Cup is one of the sailor’s favourite’s events. The stunning scenery definitely changes them from the usual sailing venues.
James Spithill, Russell Coutts and Larry Ellison make their come back on the circuit; they will sail against Ray Davies, Paul Cayard, Rod Davis, Markus Wieser, Terry Hutchinson, Cameron Appleton, Christian Binder and many more of the world’s best sailors…
Tough job for the bookmakers! Recent winner of the America’s Cup at the helm of BMW ORACLE Racing, James « Jimmy » Spithill is the skipper of a new team called RC 44 Challenge. His crew is made up of a combination of America’s Cup sailors - such as John Kostecki - and genuine amateurs, as required by the Class rules.
RC 44 Challenge will with no doubt immediately become one of the favourites of the event. “I am really looking forward to returning to the RC 44 Class”, says Spithill. “It attracts the world’s best sailors from both match racing and fleet racing, plus the boats are incredibly rewarding to sail and certainly one of the reasons I’m back. We have a fantastic team. John Kostecki will be tactician and Joey Newton trimming, both who raced on the BOR 90 trimaran.”
Other new faces involved in the RC 44 Austria Cup include Harm Müller Spreer, who will be Team Sea Dubai’s fleet race helmsman. Owner of the well known TP 52 Platoon, Harm Müller Spreer is a successful Dragon sailor; he became European champion in 2004, finished second at the 2005 worlds and is a triple Gold Cup winner.
Russell Coutts is also back on the circuit for the first time since last year’s Portoroz Cup. Larry Ellison will steer BMW ORACLE Racing during the fleet races whilst Coutts will be at the helm on Thursday and Friday for the match race.
Finally, Team Austria, the local team headed by René Mangold, will be keen to perform in front of its public. The Austrians managed to win two fleet races in Dubai earlier in the season. “We have improved a lot but we need more continuity”, comments Christian Binder, the team’s match race helmsman and tactician.

The teams involved in the RC 44 Austria Cup (fleet race/match race helmsman):

• Team No Way Back (Pieter Heerema / Ray Davies)
• Artemis (Torbjorn Tornqvist / Terry Hutchinson)
• CEEREF (Igor Lah / Rod Davis)
• BMW ORACLE Racing (Larry Ellison / Russell Coutts)
• Team Aqua (Chris Bake / Cameron Appleton)
• Team Islas Canarias Puerto Calero (Daniel Calero / José Maria Ponce)
• Katusha (Paul Cayard)
• Team Sea Dubai (Harm Muller Spreer / Markus Wieser)
• Team Austria (René Mangold / Christian Binder)
• RC 44 Challenge (Ian Vickers / James Spithill)

www.rc44.com

>>> Διαβάστε περισσότερα >>>

"I imagined the yacht in my dreams during last two Vendée Globe, when i asked myself what would be the ideal boat for a cruise.
I wanted to sail on the ocean and at the same be able to stop over. So i started to scribble down a few ideas here and there, and i made a note of what could be transferred from a racing yacht to a cruiser."

>>> Διαβάστε περισσότερα >>>

Οι καλύτεροι ιστιοπλόοι από 58 χώρες του κόσμου παίρνουν μέρος στους μεγαλύτερους ιστιοπλοϊκούς αγώνες Ολυμπιακών κατηγοριών από τις 22-30 Απριλίου στο Ιερ της Γαλλίας.
Η Ελλάδα εκπροσωπείτε από 34 αθλητές σε 11 κατηγορίες:

Προσωρινά αποτελέσματα Ελληνικής Ομάδας:
470 Ανδρών (σύνολο σκαφών 90):
02. Μάντης - Καγιαλής, (1,4) = 5 βαθμούς
16. Καμπουρίδης - Ωρολογάς, (11,15) = 26 βαθμούς
29. Καβάς - Ορφανός, (16, 19) = 35 βαθμούς
52. Σταύρου - Παπαδόπουλος, (18, 30) = 48 βαθμούς
78. Βεργινίαδης - Βλάχος (40,31) = 71 βαθμούς
Finn (σύνολο σκαφών 52):
02. Μιτάκης, (2) = 2 βαθμούς
RS:X Men (σύνολο σκαφών 71):
12. Κοκκαλάνης, (5,9) = 14 βαθμούς
47. Φράγκος, (20,27) = 47 βαθμούς
48. Λεονέττι, (24,23) = 47 βαθμούς
49er (σύνολο σκαφών 58):
19. Δήμου - Πατενιώτης, (10) = 10 βαθμούς
Laser STD (σύνολο σκαφών 141):
01. Χειμώνας, (2,2) = 4 βαθμούς
17. Κάτσιος (8,11) = 19 βαθμούς
38. Μπούτρης (1,34) = 35 βαθμούς
39. Χρυσός, (12,23) = 35 βαθμούς
Star (σύνολο σκαφών 07):
07. Παπαθανασίου - Δραγούτσης, (6,6) = 12 βαθμούς
470 Γυναικών (σύνολο σκαφών 44):
32. Κραβαριώτη - Τσιγαρίδη (32) = 32 βαθμούς
RS:X Γυναικών (σύνολο σκαφών 39):
21. Σκαρλάτου, (26,15) = 41 βαθμούς
Laser RDL (σύνολο σκαφών 80):
39. Βλάχου, (19,23) = 42 βαθμούς
Elliot 6m Match Race
Μπεκατώρου - Μαντζαράκη - Οινοκομοπούλου (4races - 1 win)
Sonar (σύνολο σκαφών 9):
05. Χριστοφόρου - Αλεξάς - Νοτάρογλου (8,1) = 9 βαθμούς
http://sof.ffvoile.net/

The Rolex Farr 40 Worlds lived up to its billing as the big boat one-design championship against which all others are measured.

The 2010 series was decided on the final race of the final day, raced in front of a huge spectator fleet from rubber ducks to 25 metre sport fishers.
NERONE crew, 2010 Rolex Farr 40 World Champions
Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (ITA) ended the day lauded champion, for the second time (first in 2003)/ Guido Belgiorno-Nettis' Transfusion (AUS) were beaten at the last, but certainly not disgraced.
The next Rolex Farr 40 World Championship will be held in Sydney in February 2011.
The final day started early. Principal Race Officer, Peter Reggio,brought the first signal forward to 1000 local time, three races were threatened and for once the wind played ball.
Fleet start, last day of racing & TRANSFUSION hoisting spinnaker
Three races were held. While the Italians were celebrating in true Latin manner, spraying champagne, hugging, singing, kissing and throwing each other into the harbour, a little way up the dock the crew of Transfusion were reflecting on the one that got away.
First to congratulate Mezzaroma and his team after crossing the finish, the Australians are rightly proud of their achievement in finishing second.
NERONE sailing downwind & Broach of FLASH GORDON 6
Guido Belgiorno-Nettis acknowledged that ending up in standings between Jim Richardson and Terry Hutchinson, and, Mezzaroma and Vascotto, who have been in the Class for many years, at only their second Worlds is something they deserve to be pleased about.
The disappointment that they were unable to carry their lead through to the finish softened by an achievement that any of the boats behind them would have welcomed.
Final top ten:
1. Nerone, Massimo Mezzarona/Alberto Signorini, ITA, 30 points
2. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, AUS, 32
3. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson, USA, 38
4. Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill, AUS, 52.5
5. Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba, ITA, 58
6. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi, ITA, 58
7. Goombay Smash, Doug Douglass, USA, 63
8. Plenty, Alex Roepers, USA, 65
9. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer, GER, 74
10. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut & Evan Jahn, USA, 77
www.farr40worlds.com
Photos Credits by ROLEX / Daniel Forster
source: Scuttlebutt Europe

The latest incarnation of the HUGO BOSS IMOCA 60 was given a brief airing on Friday as it was transferred from the Green Marine shed at Spitfire Quay, Southampton to Alex Thomson Racing’s base in Gosport.

Over the last 4 months the boat has been undergoing a dramatic modification and re-fit under the guidance of boat designer Juan Kouyoumdjian that will provide Alex Thomson with the most powerful IMOCA 60 in the World.
The boat, now virtually unrecognisable from the original Kouyoumdjian designed Pindar, features a number of radical changes that sets the boat apart from the IMOCA 60 fleet but, under the new grandfathering rule, keeps the boat within the restrictions set down by IMOCA. Alex Thomson Racing is confident that the results will lead to some exciting sailing.
“We’ve worked closely with Juan to create something that’s a bit special and we’re all really pleased with the result”, said Alex Thomson.
“We’re in the process of fitting the rig and then we’ll be able to try her out. I’ve been looking forward to that moment for quite a while now”.
HUGO BOSS is due to be officially unveiled in all its glory at a high profile launch event in May. Alex Thomson will then embark on a six-month sailing programme that will take him up to the start of the Barcelona World Race in December where he hopes to go one better having finished second in the 2007/8 race.

The Offshore Racing Congress (ORC) and Flensburger Segel Club (FSC) are pleased to announce the 2010 ORC International (ORCi) World Championship is now open for entries.

This is the only ISAF-sanctioned offshore World Championship, and will be held in Flensburg, Germany over 5-11 September 2010.
The event starts with Registration and Measurement over Sunday and Monday, 5-6 September, followed by the first day of inshore racing on Tuesday, 7 September.
The following two days are scheduled for offshore racing, with inshore resuming on Friday and Saturday, 10-11 September. Should conditions require, Sunday 12 September is being held as a reserve day.
Seven inshore races scored at 1.0 points each are scheduled, along with a short offshore race scored at 1.25 points and a long offshore race scored at 1.75 points. This format is mandated by the ORC's "Green Book" of championship event standards. Besides the usual home-court advantages over visiting teams, the German ORCi fleet will also have ample opportunity to test themselves prior to the Worlds, with numerous regattas and training sessions being held for the fleet in the next few months.
The first is the "Go for Speed" seminars, organized by the Deutscher Segler-Verband (DSV) and held at the DSV building in Hamburg on 17-18 April for classroom sessions on topics such as sail trim, rules, weather, preparation and crew management, followed by on-water training over 23-25 April in Keil with Olympic Gold medalist Jesper Bank and his team of experts in a session offered with the help of Elvstrom Sails.
Another opportunity to tune up for the Worlds will be in the German ORCi Offshore Championship, which is organized in two parts. The first, held over 21-24 May, is offshore (long distance) racing in the North Sea at Helgoland as part of Nordseewoche, with the second being inshore (windward-leeward) racing held over 21-23 June in the Baltic as part of Kieler Woche.
Favorites among the German teams include Christian Plump and his modified Rodman 42 Beluga Racing, winner last year's ORCi European Championship in Ystad, Sweden and a perennial victor in numerous other ORCi events. Other teams to watch include John Friedrichsen's X-332 Chinook and Peter Sueselbeck's brand-new Farr-designed Beneteau First 40 Westwind. A sistership in Australia won the prestigious Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race in ORCi, so this team will definitely be one to watch.
For more information and entry details for the 2010 ORCi World Championship, visit the FSC's ORCi Worlds website at www.fsc.de/regatten/orci-worlds-2010
For more information on the DSV's Go for Speed seminar, visit www.dsv.org/index.php?id=470
For more information on the German Offshore Championship, visit www.nordseewoche.de and www.kielerwoche.de

www.orc.org

The International Tornado Association (ITA) has responded to the global downturn and the need to attract sailing's Generation Next to the class by allowing the best, not just the best funded, to race these ultra-fast sailing machines.

Photo by Renzo Domini
And while it's not often in life the cost of anything goes down, this is exactly what will happen in the world of Tornado sailing. One of the biggest changes to the sport since the introduction of spinnakers and the double trapeze in 2001 following the Sydney Olympics, the Tornado class has voted to put a ceiling on costs with the introduction of one-design sails in the interest of creating a fairer playing field.
"We feel that the Tornado has always been one of the leaders in sailing in terms of promotion, sponsorship and of course, excitement, and we believe this decision again shows we are not only capable of moving with the times, but responding to the times.
"We feel sailing needs to be pro-active, not just reactive. "Consulting research gathered at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 we decided cutting the cost of sails was the best way to reduce costs and we believe it is also in the true spirit of the Olympics to create this cheaper but also more level racing fiel." said ITA President and former World Champion and Olympic medalist Roland Gaebler from Germany.
The class is intent on working overtime to regain Olympic acceptance, hopefully by the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, after being left off the program for the London Olympics in 2012.
A complete set of the new one-design sails from Ullman Sails Italy cost €2.950 Euros, including tax.
The cost of sails will be fixed for a period of time. Long-lasting but high-quality sail cloth has been used for the mainsail, jib and gennacker. Designs from this loft, founded by the great sailor Giorgio Zuccoli and now in the hands of the experienced Pablo Soldano, have been used to win world titles, European championships and Olympic medals.
www.tornado-class.org

SOME HARD WORK FOR NOTHING

Racing at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds was canned today, halfway through the first race of the day.
Disappointing for all involved – the race committee that had worked hard to get the course in place, the competing crews that had waited patiently for the wind to settle and Guido Belgiorno-Nettis, owner of Transfusion (AUS), whose crew had chiseled out a handy lead in what racing there was.
Going into day three, with positions unchanged, Transfusion leads Barking Mad (USA) and Nerone (ITA).
Casa de Campo Marina, view from the air
Principal Race Officer Peter ‘Luigi’ Reggio had been hopeful when the Race Committee boat dropped the AP (postponement) flag at 14.10 local time, “early on it looked like we were going to have some good races. We had 8-10 knots from 190o – 205o, so it was fine when we started the first race.”
A clean start saw Alessandro Barnaba’s Fiamma (ITA) secure the pin with Massimo Mezzaroma and Alberto Signorini’s Nerone on her hip. Transfusion and Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad took up position closer to the Race Committee boat. The first beat was pretty uneventful with the left side of the course appearing favoured.
Transfusion and Barking Mad cruised into the top mark in close company, but unopposed on port tack, as Belgiorno Nettis explained, “Tom Slingsby, our tactician, got us a very good start. We had a nice lane, which we worked and built on. We managed to keep it going all the way up. We didn’t get interfered with too much, nobody was tacking on top of us and we were able to call most of the shots.
Barking Mad came across at us at one point, but we managed to sit on them for the last part of the beat, virtually on the port lay line.” A ten degree swing in the wind to the right led to a course change, but gave little warning of what lay ahead. Transfusion rounded a boat length ahead of Barking Mad, with Nerone in third. The overnight top three taking up where they had left off the day before.
The wind was manifestly softening during the run and as the leaders rounded the leeward mark the race was rewritten from potential thriller into a complete farce. Luigi was quick to call time, “on the run down a big huge black cloud decided to show up over our left shoulder and sucked out all the velocity.
When boats got to the leeward gate everything shuffled up. We abandoned at that point because it was just not going to be fair. This is a Worlds. The racing has to be as fair as possible and this was not.”
Peter Reggio, Rolex Farr 40 Worlds' Principal Race Officer
The Race Committee kept everyone on the water for as long as possible, but finally called time at 15.00, accepting that the wind was not going to play ball.
Positions therefore remain unchanged and whilst extremely disappointed not to get a race in, Belgiorno Nettis was looking on the bright side, “It was a pretty challenging day. It was extremely disappointing not to be able to continue the race having worked so hard to get to where we were. When Luigi called it off, I was thinking ‘boy, that was a lot of hard work for nothing’. But then the pressure was off. The boys went for a swim and I couldn’t resist it either. At the moment we’re still where we were yesterday and that’s nice I suppose.”
Racing continues tomorrow, Friday, April 23 with a first warning signal at 11.00.
The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship concludes on Saturday, April 24.
For more information about the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, including results, crew lists, and media accreditation, please visit www.farr40worlds.com
Rolex Farr 40 Worlds Results – Day 2 (Position, Name, Owner, Country, R1, R2, R3= Points) 1. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (AUS), 1-1-3 = 5
2. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson (USA), 4-3-1 = 8
3. Nerone, Massimo Mezzarona/Alberto Signorini (ITA), 2-5-5 = 12
4. Goombay Smash, Doug Douglass (USA), 8-8-2 = 18
5. Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba (ITA), 5-7-6 = 18
6. Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill (AUS), 7-2-10 = 19
7. Plenty, Alex Roepers (USA), 3-9-7 = 19
8. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi/Roberto Strappati (ITA), 6-10-4 = 20
9. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer (GER), 9-4-9 = 22
10. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut & Evan Jahn (USA), 10-6-8 = 24

Ο Ιστιοπλοϊκός Όμιλος Πατρών διοργανώνει τον ιστιοπλοϊκό αγώνα Ανοιχτής Θάλασσας «ΗΛΙΑΣ ΜΙΧΑΛΟΠΟΥΛΟΣ», το Σάββατο 24 και την Κυριακή 25 Απριλίου 2010.
1η Ιστιοδρομία ΠΕΡΙΠΛΟΥΣ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΗΡΩΝ στον Πατραϊκό, 13,3 ν.μ.
2η Ιστιοδρομία ΠΕΡΙΠΛΟΥΣ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΗΡΩΝ στον Πατραϊκό, 13,3 ν.μ.
Την Παρασκευή 23-4-10, ώρα 21:00 θα πραγματοποιηθεί η συγκέντρωση κυβερνητών στην Αίθουσα Διδασκαλίας του Ομίλου και οι συμμετοχές σκαφών αναμένεται να ξεπεράσουν τις 20.
Η εκκίνηση των ιστιοδρομιών θα δοθεί και τις δύο μέρες στις 12:00 το μεσημέρι μπροστά από τις εγκαταστάσεις του Ι.Ο. Πατρών στην οδό Ηρώων Πολυτεχνείου.
Τα σκάφη θα βγουν στον στίβο περίπου μια ώρα πριν, για να προετοιμαστούν για τον αγώνα. Το θέαμα θα είναι εντυπωσιακό.

Από το Δ.Σ. του Ι.Ο.Πάτρας

Emirates Team New Zealand has appointed Olympic and round-the-world yachtsman Chris Nicholson to skipper Campers’ entry in the 2011-12 Volvo Ocean Race.

Nicholson is a veteran of three VORs, his first as a watch captain in 2001-02 on Amer Sports 1 which was skippered by Emirates Team New Zealand managing director Grant Dalton.
In 2005-06 he was a watch captain on board Spanish entry movistar and in 200-09 he was co-skipper of Puma, which finished second.
Chris Nicholson (left) with Adam Minoprio
Nicholson, aged 40, represented Australia at the Olympics in 2000 and 2004. He was 49er world champion in 1997, 1998 and 1999 and world champion in the 505 class in 1992, 1994 and 2002.
Nicholson will be joined by the current world match racing champion, Adam Minoprio, of New Zealand.
Minoprio’s young BlackMatch team has had a meteoric rise up the world match racing standings. After only two years on the professional circuit the team won the season championship and was first in the world match racing standings. Minoprio has returned to the circuit in 2010, with every intention of defending his hard-won title.
Emirates Team New Zealand operations manager Kevin Shoebridge, who will manage the Camper project, said the appointment of Nicholson and Minoprio brought together veteran ocean racing experience and up-and-coming talent. “Chris Nicholson is well-known to the team and brings the experience from a long and successful racing career to Camper. “Adam Minoprio is a young yachtsman with drive, determination and skill who will be an asset to Camper. His BlackMatch racing team already has a close association with Emirates Team Zealand and we have supported him on the match racing circuit.”
Volvo Ocean Race crews number 10 plus a media/camera person who plays no part in sailing the yacht.
“We are working with Camper on recruiting other members of the crew,” Shoebridge said. The Emirates Team New Zealand design team, headed by principal designer Marcelino Botin, is well advanced on the yacht’s design. Building will start in Auckland in August. It will be launched early next year and undergo sea trials before being shipped to Spain.
The Volvo Ocean Race starts at Alicante, Spain, in October 2011 and will finish at Galway, Ireland, in June 2012. Stopover ports are Cape Town (South Africa), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Sanya (China), Auckland (New Zealand), Itajai (Brazil), Miami (USA), Lisbon (Portugal) and Lorient (France).
http://www.camper.com/
http://volvooceanrace.com/
http://www.emiratesteamnz.com/

For the teams competing at the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds in the Dominican Republic, it was a long, hot morning waiting dockside at the Casa de Campo Marina for the breeze to fill in.

PRO Peter Reggio postponed the 11am start and kept the fleet dockside where they could find shade and stay hydrated. After an hour and a half delay, the fleet was sent out to the race area just a mile out from the marina entrance and racing was underway by 1pm.
The SSW breeze was light at 6-8 knots for the first race. The race committee sent the fleet on a 1.7 nautical mile W-L-W-L course.
Transfusion (AUS) led the pack down the line on starboard and was at the pin end at the gun. For the second race, the race committee reset the starting line to the west and sent competitors on the same course as the breeze increased slightly up to 12 knots. The fleet was even more tightly packed and hard by the pin end of the start line, Massimo Mezzaroma's Nerone (ITA) was very close to being over early. Clearly they thought they were, though there was no flag or call from the RC boat, and after a boat length, Nerone turned around, sailed back and recrossed the start line. But the team was impressive as they clawed back from last place to finish in 5th place.
Today was the Casa de Campo Race Day. Day One's overall leaders after three races - Transfusion, Barking Mad, Nerone - were presented with Farr 40 boat models built by Abordage.
The company, based in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, has been proudly producing beautifully hand-crafted ship models since 1989.
Rolex Farr 40 Worlds Results - Day 1
(Position, Name, Owner, Country, R1, R2, R3= Points)
1. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (AUS), 1-1-3 = 5
2. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson (USA), 4-3-1 = 8
3. Nerone, Massimo Mezzarona/Alberto Signorini (ITA), 2-5-5 = 12
4. Goombay Smash, Doug Douglass (USA), 8-8-2 = 18
5. Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba (ITA), 5-7-6 = 18
6. Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill (AUS), 7-2-10 = 19
7. Plenty, Alex Roepers (USA), 3-9-7 = 19
8. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi/Roberto Strappati (ITA), 6-10-4 = 20
9. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer (GER), 9-4-9 = 22
10. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut & Evan Jahn (USA), 10-6-8 = 24

www.farr40worlds.com
Photos Credits by: Rolex / Daniel Forster

The Louis Vuitton Trophy is coming to Sardinia in May, with 10 elite sailing teams set to race for two weeks on the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean Sea off La Maddalena.

With just one month to go before racing begins on May 22nd, the host team, Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, is eager to extend a warm welcome to teams, sponsors and guests alike.
“La Maddalena is among the best places in the world to sail,” said Vincenzo Onorato, the team principal of Mascalzone Latino Audi Team. “The waters are warm, the wind conditions are very good and the people of La Maddalena will be gracious hosts. I want to welcome all of my sailing friends and fans of the sport to join us here in May.”
The Louis Vuitton Trophy - La Maddalena follows two successful regattas in Auckland (February 2010) and Nice (November 2009) over the past six months. Further events are planned in Dubai in November and Hong Kong in January of 2011. For La Maddalena, two additional teams will join the eight who competed in Auckland, and both are world-class sailing squads.
BMW ORACLE Racing, who won the America’s Cup Match in February, rejoins the Louis Vuitton Trophy after it missed the Auckland regatta due to its Cup commitments. Luna Rossa, which has competed for the America’s Cup three times, winning the Louis Vuitton Cup in 2000, will race for the Louis Vuitton Trophy for the very first time, after sailing in a precursor event, the Louis Vuitton Pacific Series in 2009.
Luna Rossa has assembled an impressive crew, including skipper Ed Baird, winner of the 32nd America’s Cup with Alinghi and tactician Torben Grael, who skippered Ericsson to a win in the last Volvo Ocean Race. The addition of Luna Rossa will make for three Italian teams in La Maddalena, including Azzurra, the winning team in the Nice event.
Also on the start list is the champion from Auckland, Emirates Team New Zealand.
The full line-up for La Maddalena is 10 teams, representing eight countries:

• Aleph, FRA, skipper Bertrand Pacé
• All4One, FRA/GER, skipper Jochen Schümann
• Artemis, SWE, skipper Paul Cayard
• Azzurra, ITA, skipper Francesco Bruni
• BMW ORACLE Racing, USA, skipper James Spithill
• Emirates Team New Zealand, NZL, skipper Dean Barker
• Luna Rossa, ITA, skipper Ed Baird
• Mascalzone Latino Audi Team, ITA, skipper Gavin Brady
• Synergy, RUS, skipper Karol Jablonski
• TEAMORIGIN, GBR, skipper Ben Ainslie

In the Louis Vuitton Trophy regattas, the teams match-race equalised America’s Cup Class boats. For La Maddalena, the boats will be supplied by BMW ORACLE Racing (USA 87 and USA 98) and Mascalzone Latino Audi Team (ITA 90 and ITA 99).
Racing is scheduled from the 22nd May through the 6th June. But teams will start official training sessions on the 18th May.

The course and dates for the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12 have been officially announced today. This edition of the race will see a new format for the racing programme in the host cities, including the start city of Alicante, Spain and finish city of Galway, Ireland. For the first time, the Volvo Ocean Race will finish with an In-Port race in Galway.

The iconic islands of the Azores in the Atlantic, Fernando de Noronha off the Brazilian coast and the Fastnet Rock, the southern most point of Ireland, all make an appearance on the course.
The new racing schedule for the stopovers will conclude with an action-packed long weekend in the host cities. “We had two aims when changing the stopover programme,” said Knut Frostad, CEO Volvo Ocean Race.
“Firstly we have reduced the time the teams are onshore and the time they have between the In-Port race and the Leg start. Traditionally the teams would change their yachts from an offshore sailing mode to an inshore racing one and back again for the Leg start. By bringing the two events together we lower the costs to them and their sponsors. In fact, we have also achieved more time for the shore crews to work on the yachts and subsequently the sailors get more time off.
“Secondly we can entertain the local public with the spectacle that is the Volvo Ocean Race on the water, for a long weekend of great racing and thrilling viewing. We hope by providing the local spectators with this on-the-water display, we will increase the public’s awareness and passion for the sport of sailing.”The Pro-Am races will be first on the agenda for the weekend, where the sheer power of the yachts and the onshore glamour of the race are showcased to the public and race guests. These races do not count to the teams’ overall points.
The second day sees the Volvo Ocean Race teams battle it out in two In-Port races, which count to their overall scores. The short course of the In-Port races and the proximity to the stopover harbours and beaches, will allow the public to watch the exciting racing up close, as the teams push the yachts to the limits trying to gain the important extra points.
The finale to the long weekend is the Leg start, where the teams say farewell to the host city and begin the offshore battle to the next destination.
The start and finish ports also have a new look schedule. Alicante will have a week of festivals between the In-Port and Pro-Am race weekend and the start of Leg ONE to the popular host city of Cape Town, South Africa.
Galway will be the first finish city in the race’s history to hold an inshore race after the final leg. This will not only give the teams a chance to add valuable points to their overall scores but also allow the enthusiastic Irish fans to enjoy the racing on Galway Bay. There will be no scoring gates in this edition of the race but the fleet will still pass round some famous islands on their course round the world.
Leg ONE will see the fleet pass the island of Fernando de Noronha, 200 nautical miles off the Brazilian coast as the first proper rounding mark of the race. Due to increasing pirate attacks and hijacking off the coast of Somalia, the fleet will sail around an exclusion zone, which will be added to this area nearer race time to help reduce the risk to the yachts.
On Leg EIGHT from Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France the fleet heads offshore again for a 1,940 nautical mile leg, rounding the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores before heading back towards the northwest coast of France. The Fastnet Rock is the last landmark the sailors will sail around before their final sprint up the west coast of Ireland, to the finish in Galway.
The race will visit eight stopover ports on five continents and race through four oceans, in under nine months. The Volvo Open 70’s will cover over 39,270 nautical miles racing around the globe.

The sailing conditions off the Casa de Campo resort in La Romana, Dominican Republic lived up to expectations as the Farr 40 fleet finished up a five-race series for the Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds.

Ten boats and teams from four countries – United States, Italy, Australia, and Germany – are in the Caribbean to tune up for the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship which will run from April 21 – 24, 2010.
ESTATE MASTER, winner of the Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds
After five races for the Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds, it was Lisa & Martin Hill’s Estate Master (AUS) that finished on top, with Doug Douglass’ Goombay Smash (USA), and defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champion, Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad (USA) in third place.
Though the fleet is smaller than in recent Farr 40 Worlds, the racing was just as tight and competitive: in the five races, eight teams posted scores in the top three, the shifty conditions over the weekend giving all teams a shot at coming out on top.
On Saturday, Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio and his race committee ran three races two nautical mile leg windward/leeward courses -- that gave the fleet of ten boats a taste of the local conditions.
The 2008 Rolex North American Champion Doug Douglass and his Goombay Smash team won the first race of the regatta and went on to finish the first day of racing at the top of the leader board.
Lisa and Martin Hill’s Estate Master took second in race one and held off the Nerone (ITA), steered by Alberto Signorini to finish second. Defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champion Jim Richardson’s Barking Mad took the gun in race two ahead of Enfant Terrible (ITA) crossing in second and fellow Italian team Alessandro Barnaba’s Fiamma (ITA) sliding into third.
GOOMBAY SMASH, second overall at the Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds
On Sunday, two more windward/leeward races were run, and going into the fifth and last race, Estate Master was tied with Goombay Smash for first place overall. Both boats had a plan to start at the pin end, but it was Estate Master that pulled it off. Added to that, at the top of the first windward beat, Goombay Smash incurred a penalty for a port-starboard incident and had to do a 7200 turn, which effectively ended their chances of catching Estate Master.
Owner/helmsman Martin Hill plan to start at the pin end paid off, “We noticed there’s a trend at the bottom of the course -- there’ s a right breeze and you get to the top mark and it goes left, so ideally you try to start on starboard as far as you can towards the pin, and then tack onto port and go for the top mark.
That was our plan and we got down there and no one was around us, so happy days! I don’t know what was wrong, so we tacked and led the entire race. We’re not stupid enough to know that this is a practice race for the Worlds. Still I take any win, and it was lovely – the wind, the sunshine, and just being in the Caribbean, it’s just fantastic here.”
Hill, clearly enthused about his teams Pre-Worlds win, cautioned, “The only thing is there’s always a type of voodoo about winning the Pre-Worlds, it’s bad luck. But I said, ‘I’m not into superstitions, I’ve got to take any international regatta that I can’.
Hill’s wife, Lisa, sails on the boat in the pit position. Apparently a quick learner, she’s only been sailing six years, four of them on their Farr 40. After raising three kids in Sydney, she was looking around for something to do to fill her time.
BARKING MAD, third overall at the Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds
Hill said, “So I thought, well Martin’s not going to stop sailing, and so I sort of turned up one day and said ‘I’m here boys, and they sort of looked horrified’. And I thought, ‘I’ve brought up three kids I think I can do this. Just be patient.’”
Given the distance they had to travel from Australia, Hill and his crew arrived in the Dominican Republic last Saturday a full week before the Pre-Worlds began, to get acclimatized to the time difference. They put the days to good use, sailing in the local conditions. Hill said, “We had a new mast and things to test out. It gave us a lot of confidence in testing the breeze and also we’ve been recording for the last month the wind direction, so we’ve been watching the trend.” “It’s a little obsessive”, he said with a laugh, “but you need a certain amount of confidence. We had the patience to wait for the shifts, we knew that it would come.”
Indicative of several teams whose scores trended up through the series, Alex Roepers’ Plenty (USA) had a second in the last race. Tactician Tony Rey said, “ We pulled some magic out there. We had a reasonable start and hit the first two shifts and sort of put our elbows out from there and tried to put everyone behind us.”
About the upcoming Worlds, Rey said, “It’s going to be shifty enough, especially if we sail close to land – they’ll be plenty of lead changes to follow. This week is about getting off the starting line and being able to go straight for the first eight minutes. If you can do that, without tacking, you’re going to be in the top four at the top mark.”
Added to that is the fleet size which makes it even more critical to sail well, Rey said, “With ten boats you have to be very fast and you have to get a good start, it’s very hard to come back.”
The Rolex Farr 40 World Championship racing begins on Wednesday, April 21 through Saturday, April 24, and is organised by the Casa de Campo Yacht Club and the Farr 40 Class Association.
Racing will be led by Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio, with Henry Menin as Jury Chairman. The Race Committee intends to conduct as many races as practical on each scheduled day of racing, with up to a maximum of ten races for the series.

Rolex Farr 40 Pre-Worlds - Final Results
(Position, Name, Owner, Country, R1-R2-R3-R4-R5, Total Points)
1. Estate Master, Lisa & Martin Hill (AUS), 2-4-4-1-1, 12
2. Goombay Smash, Doug Douglass (USA), 1-5-3-2-6, 17
3. Barking Mad, Jim Richardson (USA), 4-1-6-4-4, 19
4. Fiamma, Alessandro Barnaba (ITA), 9-3-1-7-5, 25
5. Nerone, Massimo Mezzarona/Alberto Signorini (ITA), 3-6-2-9-7, 27
6. Enfant Terrible, Alberto Rossi/Roberto Strappati (ITA), 6-2-7-5-10, 30
7. Flash Gordon 6, Helmut & Evan Jahn (USA), 10-9-9-3-3, 34
8. Struntje Light, Wolfgang Schaefer (GER), 5-7-5-8-9, 34
9. Plenty, Alex Roepers (USA), 7-10-8-10-2, 37
10. Transfusion, Guido Belgiorno-Nettis (AUS), 8-8-DNF-6-8, 41
http://www.farr40worlds.com/
Photos credits: Rolex / Daniel Forster

Ο Ιστιοπλοϊκός Όμιλος Πειραιώς, προκηρύσσει αγώνα για σκάφη ORCi, ORC Club, IRC και Platu 25, με πλήρωμα δύο ατόμων “εις μνήμη Νίκου Παπαμακάριου”, στις 24 και 25 Απριλίου 2010.

Σημαντικές ημερομηνίες του Αγώνα:
22 Απριλίου 2010 18:00 Λήξη ορίου προ εγγραφών
23 Απριλίου 2010 18:00 – 20:00 Εγγραφή - 20:00 Συγκέντρωση Κυβερνητών
24 Απριλίου 2010 11:00 Εκκίνηση ιστιοδρομίας, Φάληρο – Πόρος, Απόσταση 29 ΝΜ
25 Απριλίου 2010 11:00 Εκκίνηση ιστιοδρομίας, Μόδι - Φάληρο, Απόσταση 26 ΝΜ
ΠΡΟΚΗΡΥΞΗ ΑΓΩΝΑ

Late surprises in the last and best day of races in the bay of Palma, with changes in the Maxi Wally and RI2 top positions.

Artemis wins in the TP52 class, and Cristabella ends up in second place Magic Carpet resists and wins by two points in the Maxi Wally class, and Container does so in the Mini Maxi one PALMA DE MALLORCA.
In a nice breeze of the 215 which went up to 12 knots, and an airplane free sky, the Hublot PalmaVela regatta held the last races of its 7th edition. All the fleets were on the water today, with Maxis and TP 52's running their coastal races in the charlie area. In the TP52 class Artemis was the predictable winner, but Cristabella managed second, whereas Magic Carpet 2 won the also magic Wally class.
The Mini Maxi class didn't provide any surprises either, and was won by Container. In the J-80, Platú 25, RI1, and RI 2 classes, Peraleja Golf, Iberdrola, Cuadernos Rubio and Ciudad de Ceuta were the winners. In the TP52 class the victory was for Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis, thanks to her consistent performance during the two first days, where she managed to open a gap that has allowed her to remain in the first position till the end, in spite of winning no races during the last two days.
The surprise of the day was provided by John Cook's Cristabella, which won the two contests, kicking Matador out of the second place in the final classification. The Argentinians have lacked consistency throughout the regatta, and in spite of their good results on the third day, at the end they could only manage a third place. We must not forget that this is the TP 52's first race after the new rule's modifications, and that the teams are still fine tunning their boats.
Maxi Wallys and Mini Maxis have completed a 15,77 miles coastal race in the bay of Palma, with marks rounding in Sech and Illetas. Things went as predicted for the Mini Maxis, with a second place for Udo Schutz's Container at the end of the race, and a win for sir Peter Ogden's Jethou, which allowed him entering the podium in the third position.
Second in the final classification was Andrés Soriano's Alegre, whereas Neville Crichton's Shockwave gave up her place in the podium, going down to the fourth place in the last moment.
The impressive Wallys run one of the most exciting regattas of the present edition. Piers Richarson's J One couldn't handle the pressure of Daniel Gallichan's Magic Carpet 2, which recovered the level of performance of the first days and won the coastal race.
After applying the discard, the British Wally 95 finished first of her class. Behind was Richarson's Wally 77, who crossed the finish line third today, and third was Italy flagged Indio of Stefano Massa.
Among the boats racing in the compensated time class, International Rating 1 (RI 1), Cuadernos Rubio seized to her first position by doing a first and a second place in today's both races. It was not Aifos' best day today, and the Spanish Army's boat with Jaime Rodríguez Toubes' at the helm could only manage a seventh and a fourth place, what helped Joern Bock's Minnic up to the second position, one point ahead of Península Petroleum of John Bassadone with Iñaki Castañer at the helm, which was third.
Ciudad de Ceuta finished first in the final classification thanks to a win in the last race of the class. The boat skippered by Sergio Llorca benefited from a mistake of Vell Marí of Juan Cabrer, and allows the Spanish skipper to taste the victory for the first time since 2005, when he won his fourth and last Copa del Rey Audi Mapfre.
Asier García's Modark was third after being very consistent throughout the whole regatta. The ORC class, Russian X-35 won the final victory after also winning today's both races, ahead of “Bruix IV” of Miguel Mercada and “Omi II” of Francisco Llompart.
Prizes were delivered at six o'clock in the afternoon, in the facilities of the Real Club Naútico of Palma, with the presence of the major of Palma, Aina Calvo, and the president of the organizing committee of the Hublot PalmaVela, Javier Sanz.

April 18th, 2010 Final Classification
Maxi Wally
1. Magic Carpet 2 (Gallichan), 1+1+(4)+3+2+1: 8
2. J One (Richardson), 2+(3.5)+3+1+1+3: 10
3. Indio (Massa), (4)+3.5+2+2+3+2: 12.5
Mini Maxi
1. Container (Schutz), 1+(4)+1+1+3+2: 8
2. Alegre (Soriano), 3+2+2+(4)+1+3: 11
3. Jethou (Ogden), 2+3+4+(8)+4+1: 14
TP 52
1. Artemis (Tornqvist), 1+1+1+1+2+3+2+(3): 11
2. Cristabella (Cook), 2+2+(4)+2+3+2+1+1: 13
3. Matador (Roemmers), 3+3+2+3+1+1+(3)+2: 15
J-80
1. Peraleja Golf (Martínez), 1+(3)+1+1+1+3+2+2+1: 12
2. Nextel (Camino), 4+1+3+4+4+6+4+5+(11): 31
3. ECC Viviendas, (Torcida), 2+4+10+(14)+2+1+5+1+10: 35
Platú 25
1. Iberdrola (Weiller), 2+2+2+1+1+1+3+3+(7): 15
2. Inmobiliaria Nova (Forteza), 1+1+3+4+(4)+3+2+2+1: 17
3. Ziving Badia (Momparler), 3+3+4+3+3+(5)+1+1+2: 20
RI 1
1. Cuadernos Rubio (Maldonado), 5+1+2+1+2: 11
2. Minnic (Bock), 7+2+3+3+3: 18
3. Aifos (Rodríguez Toubes), 2+6+1+7+4: 20
RI 2
1. Ciudad de Ceuta (Llorca), 2+2+2+2+1: 9
2. Vell Marí (Cabrer), 1+3+1+1+4: 10
3. Modark (García Barroso), 3+1+3+4+5: 16
ORC
1. Symfony (Viacheslav), 1+1+2+1+1: 6
2. Bruix IV (Mercadal), 3+2+1+5+4: 15
3. Omi II (Llompart), 2+3+3+4+7: 19