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- Farr 40 Spotlight: The 'Transfusion' Story
- ' Where The Wind Blows..!'
- The Dragon - 'Class of '27'
- The Dragon - According To Klaus
- RC44 – ‘Team Aqua’ Owns Valencia
- Sailing Personality - ‘Butch’ Ulmer.
- History: 'The Gentleman Loser'
- UK - Halsey 'Sails Talk'
- New York Yacht Club Race Week
- Surviving Cancer To Sail Again
- Next Month In 'A Brush With Sail'
'Padua' Rounds Cape Horn.' A wonderful pen and ink drawing by Guenther T. Schulz who went to sea with the Flying P Line, to draw from experience!
Finland, Germany & New Zealand The Shared Memory of Pamir
Finland, New Zealand and Germany share a common memory with the history of the four-masted barque Pamir.
This grand ship of yesteryear was built by Blohm and Voss of Hamburg and launched into the River Elbe on 29 July 1905 for F. Laeisz’s ‘Flying P Line', also based in Hamburg.
Pamir’s yard number was 180 and she was the eleventh ship constructed for Laeisz, by Blohm and Voss and as a powerful Cape Horn vessel, she carried nitrate cargoes from Chile to European ports. In the 1930’s she flew the flag of Gustaf Erikson, of Mariehamm in the Finnish Aland Islands and was mainly employed carrying grain from Spoth Australian ports to Europe, again via Cape Horn.
On July 29 1941Pamir sailed into Wellington Harbour, with a cargo of fertilizer, from the Seychelles Islands. Five days later, Pamir was seized, as a prize of war by the New Zealand Government.
Managed by the Union Steam Ship Company and commanded and manned by New Zealanders, Pamir made five voyages to SanFrancisco USA, three to Vancouver Canada, one to Sydney Australia and one to London England and on to Antwerp, before being returned to her owners on November 12 1948.
Flying the Finnish flag once more but crewed by New Zealanders Pamir left Wellington for the last time on February 1 1949.
As a German cargo-carrying auxiliary training ship, Pamir foundered in hurricane ‘Carrie’ in the North Atlantic Ocean on September 21 1957, with the loss of eighty of her crew of eighty-six.
In 1941 I was five years old and have memories of watching this strange looking (to my eyes at first) ship, Pamir with the four masts, 24 yards and a gaff, being towed by a harbour tug, across the entrance of Evans Bay, to it’s berth at Aotea Quay in Lambton Harbour.
But later, my Father took me to see this same vessel leaving Wellington Harbour and sailing south down the Harbour entrance toward the open sea, slowly adding more and more sail! That didn’t look strange. It looked wonderful and the memory has never left me.
As a young fellow in the early stages of my sailing career, I was to meet Murray Henderson, who, some years earlier and as a nineteen year old, had crewed on Pamir on her final trip from New Zealand to England. His enthusiasm for the stories of the ships that sailed around Cape Horn left me with a life-long interest in the Pamir and her part in my Nations maritime history.
Murray was a tireless enthusiast for the New Zealand Pamir Association and the International Association of Cape Horners, but sadly, like so many of his old shipmates, he has sailed his last voyage into the mist and over the horizon.
He has left me with wonderful memories of him and his tales of Pamir.
If Paul Cayard didn’t have a sterling CV that spans decades and has transcended the sport of sailing, you’d think he was an eager young sailor trying to earn his way onto a team. At 50, he’ll do whatever it takes to build a team, have fun, stay fit and lead by example.
Mature Mr. Cayard is a member of the management team of Artemis Racing. Youthful Paul is willing to pitch in anywhere he is needed on his team’s ACC boat at the Louis Vuitton Trophy. He’s the strategist, which means on days when there is wind, he’s part of the afterguard working with helmsman, Terry Hutchinson and Morgan Larson, the team’s tactician. The young Paul just can’t stay put.
If a grinder’s pedestal is free, he’s on it. He’ll help with the mid-bow. He pulls the jib down when the boat bears off onto a run. His arms flail as fast as his teammates’ during the spinnaker takedowns. So far, he has stayed off of the bow during the regatta. Given his performance out on the wire with Howie Hamlin this summer during the SAP 505 World Championship, don’t put it past young Paul to volunteer to substitute for Artemis bowman Andy Fethers should he fall ill or become injured.
As strategist for Artemis Racing, mature Paul could remain in the shade of the mainsail on days when the wind is less than 10 knots, but the fit 50-year old dons a harness and effectively leaps a building in a single bound. In his words, 'My job is to look at the race course and help Morgan figure out which side we like. The practical side of this is that if the wind is under 10 knots, I do this job from 100 feet up in the air. I have a headset so I can communicate with Morgan and tell him what I see. The view up there is amazing… I don't get seasick, so no issues there either.' While he is atop the mast as a strategist, Superman also launches himself away from the mast and swings like a pendulum toward the backside of the mainsail to pop the compression loaded battens into the right position following a jibe.
Paul Cayard (far left) Terry Hutchinson on the helm all check to see where Artemis is against their opponent - Louis Vuitton Trophy - Bob Greiser-Outside Images
Young Paul has been up the mast a few times during the Louis Vuitton Cup and each time he tries to improve his technique of holding on so that the top of the mast doesn’t flick him off and send him flying. Inexperienced batten popper Paul went flying like an actor during a dress rehearsal for Peter Pan a few days ago and bruised his forearm. Of course, youthful Paul heeled quickly.
Cayard was on a wire earlier this year putting fit sailors less than half his age to shame at the SAP 505 World Championship on a very windy San Francisco Bay. Past 505 World Champion, Howie Hamlin, asked his contemporary to be his bowman during a regatta in which multiple masts were bent like pretzels each and every day of the weeklong series, yet Hamlin and Cayard finished seventh in the regatta that took its toll on equipment and psyche.
Said the man who has shed several kilos since his 2004 Olympic Star campaign of the 505 experience, 'It was a way of physically checking myself to see if I can still do the things that I could do 30 years ago.'
Cayard has sailed distance races such as the Transpac, Pac Cup and Coastal Cup with his daughter and son over the past two years. When asked if he is in better shape than his offspring, he said, 'Yeah. My kids would have a hard time blowing me out.' He also took the opportunity to say that his son hasn’t passed him on the mountain bike yet. (Don’t worry Danny, how many of us could pass him?)
While he may be as physically fit as a 20-year old, Paul Cayard has three decades more experience and wisdom. He, TorbjornTornqvist, Artemis Racing’s CEO and the rest of the management team are preparing for a multi-challenger America’s Cup event and investing in the future. It is the first time that the 17 sailors have sailed together. While they are disappointed that they did not qualify for the finals of this Louis Vuitton Cup, they are realistic. Young or old, all of them are very talented ACC sailors and know what it takes to win.
Said the ageless man with two around the world races, seven world championships and five America’s Cups under his belt, 'I am happy where I am at 50.'
A Brush With Sail is very proud and very pleased to welcome the prestigious sailmaking business of UK-Halsey as an advertiser on our site and a contributor to the monthly International Sailing e-Magazine.
'Butch' Ulmer's Rules School' will be adding expert racing rules commentary to our pages and this will be from the pen of a very experienced sailboat racer who is ranked among the top of rules experts in the USA. Make sure you read what Butch has to say each month and keep abreast of sail-making technology in the monthly 'UK-Halsey 'Sails Talk.'
UK-Halsey is one of the biggest sail-making businesses on the planet and it came about in the merger of two company's which both had considerable history behind them.
That is quite a story in itself..... Established in 1946 as Ulmer Sails., UK-Halsey Sailmakers is one of the oldest group of lofts in North America. Over 60 years later, the UK-Halsey group has over 50 lofts and service centers around the world. UK-Halsey has been on the leading edge of sail development ever since the late ’40s when Ulmer Sails dominated the Star class, 5.5 Meter, Snipe, Lightning and Comet one-design classes.
In the spring of 2005, UK Sailmakers merged with the Halsey-Lidgard group of sailmakers. The merger of two of the premiere sail brands formed one of, if not the, most comprehensive sailmaking organizations in the world. Although this ranks UK-Halsey as one of the largest sailmaking operations in the world, the purpose of this merger was to be able to deliver the best sails of highest quality using most advanced technologies, to customers - wherever they are or they sail - anywhere around the world. This requires excellent people with both expertise and a positive attitude toward serving customers.
UK-Halsey united two very successful sailmakers, each known for quality and performance in different segments and territories within the sailing community. UK Sailmakers, based in City Island, New York, is known as a leader in loadpath laminate construction, having pioneered Tape-Drive sails. UK dominates PHRF and club racing among production and semi-custom racer-cruisers in North America and through the grand prix levels in Europe.
Halsey-Lidgard brought to UK-Halsey an engineering expertise which has produced sails for such yachts as the 125-foot catamaran PLAYSTATION (nee CHEYENNE), record-holder under Steve Fossett for sailing around the world, and REBECCA, one among dozens of vessels over 100 feet flying Halsey-Lidgard sails. In addition to many winners in Sydney-Hobart and other top-level Australian and New Zealand races through the years, this company has an outstanding reputation in multihulls, ranging from cruisers in the Caribbean to RTW racers.
In fact, immediately following the merger, the group came together to be the exclusive sailmaker to the China Team’s America’s Cup challenge in 2006-2007. Five-time French America’s Cup campaigner Sylvain Barrielle of UK-Halsey San Francisco was the sail coordinator, John Fries of UK-Halsey Mystic was the head sail designer, and the group’s lofts in Hong Kong and Mystic manufactured the sails. UK-Halsey Spain helped out with service-work. The group’s many strengths came together quickly and well.
Ulmer Sails founder Charles 'Buster' Ulmer started his sailmaking career in 1916 as an apprentice at the Ratsey & Lapthon loft on City Island in New York. Since 1970, his son, Charles 'Butch' Ulmer, has run the loft on City Island and the company has grown considerably. In the early '70s, UK became known as the only place to buy spinnakers, since UK was the first loft to perfect the radial-head construction technique. Not being able to produce spinnakers fast enough, UK branched out with independently owned franchises. The computer programs UK developed for sail design and construction ensured that sailors across the country could buy the same fast sails from any UK loft.
UK-Halsey still puts a premium on leading edge software. In fact we have a proprietary 3D CAD/CAM design program that we constantly update: it’s called AccuCut and it’s exclusively available to UK-Halsey lofts.
In the '80s, UK saw the tremendous advantages offered by 'loadpath' construction and became one of the very first to build 'string' sails. These evolved into UK's Tape-Drive® sails, the continuous refinement of which over the last 20 years keeps them the 'gold standard' for strength and efficiency in loadpath laminated construction. Club racers swear by the longevity of Tape-Drive, ocean racers love their durability; and many cruising customers have reported life spans of eight or more years with their UK SpectraTape-Drive sails.
UK-Halsey’s MatriX sails are load path constructions that represent the next step in the evolution of the Tape-Drive concept. Instead of applying the load path structural members to a pre-made sail membrane, we fabricate the sail skin and load path structure as one integral product. String sails started out as a grand prix product because they are lighter and less elastic. Yet going forward, we expect string sails to be used in more and more applications – especially on super yachts where lighter sails are a necessity.
Halsey Sailmakers opened in 1984 when Andy Halsey purchased the assets of Van Zandt Sailmakers, a highly respected loft in Connecticut (USA). Just as with UK, the emphasis was on personal service by true sailmaking professionals. Rob Scala, for example, while working for Halsey, developed the most advanced software for fabric testing, a system that provides information on how sailcloth will react under different wind conditions. This technology, along with new test procedures, played a key role in the development of 'Cuben Fiber' sails, a key component in Bill Koch's success in re-taking the America’s Cup in 1992. Andy Halsey
Halsey, from the outset, was deeply involved in big-boat racing. Andy's own experience includes three Americas Cups ('83, '92 and '95) and Halsey Sails have powered up Whitbread RTW efforts (ROTHMANS in '89/90, FORTUNA in '93/94 and both Team EF and SILK CUT in '97/98) as well as maxi- and super-yachts. In recent years, Halsey-Lidgard supplied Super Yachts like REBECCA (140’ ketch), ADIX (198’ schooner), SUMURAN (94’ ketch), SUNRISE (140’ ketch), EXTRA BEAT (112’ sloop), ARRAYAN(120’ sloop), PHILANDERER (130’ sloop), HETAIROS (145’ ketch) and others.
During the 1995 America’s Cup, Andy Halsey (pictured right) and Jim Lidgard, two competing sailmakers, held a number of meetings while both were in San Diego. Lidgard headed a New Zealand based group with a stellar record addressing similar customers (including America’s Cup competitors!) but on opposite sides of the planet. As Jim Lidgard said, before his death, 'We found both companies had a lot in common.' A joint venture made perfect sense, and their merger created a 16-loft network in a win-win situation for their combined clientele.
Halsey-Lidgard has been on the forefront of maxi multihull sail design and construction since building sails for the 110-foot catamaran TEAM ADVENTURE that sailed in The Race in 2000. Piggybacking on this experience, Andy’s loft made a full inventory of sails for Steve Fossett’s 125-foot catamaran PLAY STATION. With those sails, Fossett bested many records including the around the world record, which held up until this year.
When PLAY STATION started that around the world contest, her 5143-square-foot Cuben Fibre mainsail was two years old. The same sail was used when the boat, re-named CHEYENNE, entered the Oryx Quest around the world race — that’s an incredible record of durability for a sail that is 134 feet on the luff and 53 feet on the foot.
Although the UK Sailmakers group continues to grow and expand even more into the worldwide market, more than doubling the group’s size, the company retains the personal touch that sailors expect. Butch Ulmer, son of the company’s founder and topnotch sailor, goes to the office in City Island,New York, every day to oversee corporate matters and details of the City Island loft. For the nearest UK-Halsey Sailmakers lof,t click on the banner below:
I told you much about The Hutt City’s ‘Seaview Marina’ last month and you’d hardly think that marinas in general are exciting enough to mention too often, but in the case of the Wellington area’s leading marina, you could almost write a book about the rapid development that this marine centre has shown during the past six years.
Recently, construction began on a 2000 sq.m., single story building, to be known as the ‘Sea Centre’ and in a short ‘first sod turning’ ceremony, performed by the Mayor of Hutt City, David Ogden, both the Mayor and Seaview Marina Limited director, Arthur Stewart expressed the hope that the success of the whole operation would put to rest some of the doubts and concerns held by some citizens in the early days of the marina.
Following several fraught years following it’s construction and opening in the mid-1990’s, the new century seemed to bring more enthusiasm and hope that this magnificently positioned Hutt City asset, could be just that. A fine asset!
The new building will house marine retail businesses, a coffee bar, boat-sales and workshop areas for the marine industry. More than 50% of the floor space is leased.
During the past six years huge steps have been taken in re-organization of the whole area, particularly with regard to secure trailer boat parking, trailer boat launching and management of the marina piers and berths. The new ‘F’ pier was opened this year, slightly shortening the waiting list that continues to grow. There is enough room for new piers to be added and they will accommodate a furthermore 150 or more craft.
Architectural rendering of the new building, as seen from the seaward side. Courtesy CGM Architects. Wellington.
The hardstand area, always in huge demand for work on both recreational and commercial craft, will soon be the home to a brand new, American built ‘Travel Lift’, which will greatly improve the speed at which craft can be handled on the hardstand and decrease the time lost on maintenance of the existing, rather ancient machine that has been doing the job over past years.
Seaview Marina Limited is a stand alone Company managing the marina directly for the Hutt City Council and one of it’s directors, Arthur Stewart, told me that the access of the entire area by all citizens is also very much a part of the overall plan for the marina.
Not finalized at this stage but certainly on the proposal list, is a boardwalk skirting the seaward edge of northern reclamation, allowing access from the Port Road footpath and through marina. This would be for pedestrians and possibly cyclists. However, one recreation that is not permitted any where within the marina, is fishing!
Such is the pace of progress forward, in all aspects of the operation of Seaview Marina in 2009, that all involved are very excited about 2010 and beyond.
The north side of 'Sea Centre.' Viewed from Port Road. Rendering courtesy of CGM Architects. Wellington.
Cruising Yacht Club of Australia and naming rights sponsor Rolex have announced an impressive fleet of 116 yachts, that have been nominated for the impending Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, one of the world’s truly classic ocean races.
Last year’s event attracted 113 nominations and of those 100 made it to the start line on Boxing Day with 92 crossing the finish line off Hobart’s historic Battery Point having completed the gruelling Bass Strait crossing.
In 2004, 116 yachts sailed south for the 60th anniversary edition and prior to that 115 made it to the start line in 1998. It’s likely that this year’s fleet will finish up the second largest in more than a decade.
Expected to rendezvous in Sydney Harbour at 1pm on Saturday 26 December for the traditional blast of cannon fire will be seven maximum length heavyweights. They will line up for a title fight like never before - and there is plenty at stake. Apart from a single scare last year, Bob Oatley’sWild Oats XI crew has largely had things all their own way in the 628 nautical mile premier blue water event since they took the treble of line honours, the overall win and set a new race record in 2005.
But as Wild Oats XI stirs for a record fifth charge at line honours, the sharks are circling. At least four other similar sized maxis are capable of stemming Oats’ amazing run says Neville Crichton, owner/skipper of Alfa Romeo who is riding high after his 143rd line honours win in New Zealand in the October sailing of the Coastal Classic and one of those challenging.
'It’s going to be the most spectacular big boat race we’ve ever seen,'Crichton promises.
In a hard upwind slog his money will be on Mike Slade’s proven UK based ICAP Leopard, while in a running race he would back WildOats XI, Grant Wharington’s modified 30 metre Wild Thing and Sean Langman’s soon-to-be 100 footer LOYAL, and of course his own Reichel Pugh-designed champion.
Joining the super sleek and modern will be many of the race faithfuls, including three-time overall winner Love & War, Simon Kurts’ 1973-launched S & S 47, and Mike Freebairn’s 1968-built S & S 49 Ray White Spirit of Koomooloo, a 22-time entrant.
Ian Kiernan’s 1958-built Tasman Seabird Sanyo Maris, will also add a touch of old world charm to the starter’s list.
'Cruising Yacht Club of Australia is elated with the number of applications to enter this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart,' said Commodore Matt Allen.
'The decision to extend the maximum length overall limit to 100 feet has generated strong interest worldwide with five 100 footers promising an intense battle when the focus of yachting worldwide turns to Sydney Harbour on 26 December.
'There are a significant number of high quality applications including the Rolex Fastnet line honours and overall winners, ICAP Leopard and Niklas Zennstrom’s Ran. They will join last year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart overall winner, Bob Steel’s TP52 Quest, and other past winners spanning several decades.
'With so many competitive grand prix yachts entered we are anticipating an exciting battle for the Tattersall’s Cup, but of course like Love & War’s win three years ago, the overall victor could come from one of the classic ranks.'
All Australian states plus the ACT are represented, with 12 international entries sailing for the UK, USA, New Zealand, Spain, NewCaledonia and the Netherlands.
Applications for entry, now closed, will continue to be processed by the CYCA sailing office and if all the race entry criteria is met, owners will be invited to submit an entry form, due 4 December.
The fleet for the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race 2009 will be officially announced at the CYCA in Sydney on the morning of Tuesday 24 November at 10.00am.
The Rolex Sydney Hobart will be preceded by the Rolex Trophy to be conducted on the waters off Sydney Heads. Racing for the one design classes, including Farr 40’s and Sydney 38’s, will take place between 11 and 13 December and the IRC and Performance Handicap boats between 17 and 20 December 2009.
Entrant Applicants are:
41 SUD* FRA 8995 New Caledonia Archambault 40 Adventure of Hornet* GBR7802T UK Challenge AFR Midnight Rambler * 8338 NSW Farr 40 Alfa Romeo* NZL80 NZ Maxi Another Fiasco * Q999 QLD Jutson 43 Archie* A35 TAS Archambault 35 Auch* A44 TAS Beneteau 44.7 Audi Centre Melbourne* SM 2008 VIC Corby 49 Aurora* N3 NSW Farr 40 - One Off B52* B52 NSW Murray 41 Bacardi* SM377 VIC Peterson 44 Balance * 7771 NSW Beneteau 45 Bear Necessity* MH115 NSW C & C 115 Bet247 * NSW Sydney 38 Birdsoffboats.com.au * 2999 NSW Sydney 38 Mod Broomstick* 8848 NSW Modified 66 Calm* SM5252 VIC TP52 Challenger of Hornet * GBR7803T UK Challenge Chancellor* 7407 NSW Beneteau 40.7 Charisma * ESP7100 Spain S & S 57 Charlie's Dream* RQ1920 QLD Bluewater 450 CHorse * 8350 NSW Cavalier 350 SL Chutzpah* R33 VIC IRC 40 Colortile * 67 NSW Sayer 45 Concordia* G121 VIC Nautor Swan 53 Copernicus * 6689 NSW Radford 12 Cougar II* SM 5200 VIC TP 52 Dekadence* SM46 TAS DK46 Discoverer of Hornet * GBR7804T UK Challenge Eleni* MH60 NSW Sydney 38 Evolution Racing * 8899 NSW Cookson 50 EZ Street * 6814 NSW Warwick 44 Flying Fish* 7551 NSW Radford 16.4 Geomatic Joker * M9000 VIC Jarken 38 Getaway Sailing 2* 6155 NSW Sydney 38 Getaway-Sailing.com * NOR 2 NSW Volvo 60 Goldfinger * 8880 VIC Farr 52 Helsal III* 262 TAS Adams 20 Helsal IV* 262 TAS Dynamique 62 Holy Cow! * 6797 NSW Beneteau 50 ICAP Leopard* GBR1R UK Maxi Ichi Ban * AUS 03 NSW Jones 70 Imagination * 35 NSW First 47.7 J Steel Yeah Baby * 6068 NSW Sydney 38 Kioni * 6146 NSW Beneteau 47.7 Knee Deep * HY161 WA Farr 49 Krakatoa II * 55555 NSW Pogo 40 Lahana * 10081 NSW 30m Maxi Limit* AUS 98888 WA R/P 62 Lion New Zealand * NZL 3900 NZ Whitbread Maxi Livewire.org.au * 6773 NSW Oceanis 37 Living Doll* R55 VIC Farr 55 Loki* AUS60000 NSW R/P 63 Love & War* 294 NSW S & S 47 LOYAL* NZL99999 TAS Maxi Mahligai* BRU1 NSW Sydney 46 Matangi* 5350 TAS Frers 39 Menace* M24 NSW P/S 11.7 Merit* 8679 QLD Volvo 60 Mondo * 6305 QLD Sydney 38 More Witchcraft* 8402 NSW Dibley 46 Mr Beaks Ribs* 8447 NSW Beneteau 44.7 Namadgi* 6388 NSW Sydney 38 Ninety Seven * B 9797 VIC Farr 47 Nips N Tux * 5995 NSW IMX 40 One For The Road * N9 NSW Northshore 37 Paca * 6812 NSW Beneteau 40 Panacea * 80808 NSW Beneteau 40.7 Papillon* N 40 NSW Archambault 40 Patrice Six* 360 NSW X41 Pelagic Magic * 11407 NSW Beneteau 40.7 Perie Banou II * R4 WA S & S 39 Pinta - M * NED1261 Netherlands S & S 41 Pippin* 533 QLD Farr 37 Polaris of Belmont * 5527 NSW Cole 43 Pretty Fly III * 10007 NSW Cookson 50 Quest* 52002 NSW TP 52 Quetzalcoatl * 2001 NSW Jones 40 Ragamuffin* AUS 70 NSW TP52 Ran * GBR7236R UK JV 72 Rapture * MAR1005 USA Farr 100 Ray White Castle Hill Tartan * 3846 NSW Northshore 38 Ray White Spirit of Koomooloo * 2170 QLD S&S 49 ReIgnition * 202 QLD Sydney 42 Rush * B45 VIC Corel 45 Sailors With Disabilities* 7878 NSW Lyons 54 Salona* 3274 NSW Salona 37 Sanyo Maris * 780 NSW Tas/Seabird Secret Mens Business 3.5* YC3300 SA R/ P 51 SES Inch by Winch* 393 NSW Peterson 44 Shamrock* M330 VIC R/Pugh 47 She * 4924 NSW Olsen 40 She's The Culprit* 370 TAS Jones 39 Shining Sea * 6338 SA Sydney 38 Shogun* R50 VIC Cookson 50 Shortwave* 52052 NSW IRC52 SS Brindabella * 10000 NSW Jutson 79 St Jude 6686 NSW Sydney 47 Strewth* 6188 NSW MKL 49 Suesea * F310 WA Marten 49 Swish * 6073 NSW Sydney 38 The Subzero Goat* 7027 NSW Sydney 38 Tokolosh * AUS11111 NSW Tow Truck* M6 NSW Ker 11.3 Two True * YC400 SA First 40 Valheru* 1195 TAS Elliott 43 Wahoo * 5900 NSW Frers 40 Wasabi * AUS 88 NSW Sayer 12 Wicked* SM4 VIC First 40 Wild Oats XI * 10001 NSW RP100 Wild Thing * M10 VIC IRC Maxi 98 Yendys* 1836 NSW R/P 55 Young Nicholson* 6361 NZ Young 11 Zephyr * 8289 NSW Farr 1020 Zora I * 8975 NSW Salona 45
Kostas Karageorgiou and his team took part in the Platu 25World Championship in Punta Ala with the intention of winning it. They missed the result, but only just!
If the Spanish team Vilagarcia didn’t win, the very competitive Greek team of Modus Vivendi Alfa 3 would have conquered the title of Platu 25 World Championship for the second consecutive year. But, as we know - that didn’t happen.
In spite of it, there was great the satisfaction in the second place. Moreover Modus Vivendi managed to break the Spanish dominance: without them, the Spanish would have conquered all the first places in the Gold List.
‘We were really happy with the result’Kostas Karageorgiou, owner of Modus Vivendi, remarked. ‘We didn’t start as we expected due to some unfortunate circumstances. But we pulled ourselves together and we managed to keep in close touch with the leaders. Our worst result, not considering a black flag, was 8th. In these kinds of big fleets consistency really pays. My crew is very experienced and never stopped fighting until the last moment’.
Kostas Karageorgiou arrived at Punta Ala with a very strong and competitive crew: Panagiotis ‘Takis’ Mantis at the helm, Pavlos Kagialis trim, Vaggelis Kappas pit and Andreas Paleras bow
Takis and Pavlos are the top 470 team in Greece and one of the best worldwide at the moment. They finished 10th in the 470 men’sWorld Championship and 6th at the 470 Europeans. Takis has been helming the various Modus Vivendi boats since 1999. Vaggelis is part of the team since 1992. He has sailed in dingies as a child and has covered thousands of miles of offshore and ‘round the cans’ racing. Andreas is a very experienced 420 and 470 sailor. He substituted the team’s original bowman and he did a superb job! He is a coach at Thessaloniki Sailing Club.
Considering the very high competitive level in Punta Ala, for Kostas Karageorgiou the second place of Modus Vivendi is very important:
‘The competition was the best ever, even better than Vigo back in 2006. Our opponents are the best sailors in the world. It is almost impossible to beat them. This fact makes our second place a huge success! The Paz brothers with the Villagarcia crew, Bribon Movistar of José Cusì, ‘Central Lechera Asturiana’ of Natalia Via Dufresne, Typan of Marcos Peres e Roy Alonso, and the German Flexi of Manfred Bogdahn are just some of the top crews that gave us such thrilling competition!’
For the Greek team there was just one bad moment, as Kostas Karageorgiou remembers: ‘The only dark moment of our campaign was an incident we got involved during the 3rd day. All the starts were very competitive and just before the 6th race we were pushed in a leeward boat and broke our spreader. It was a bad moment because we wanted to race with some breeze at last but we had to abandon racing for the day. Thankfully the Jury recognized we were right and gave us a fair redress’.
Until the last day, a podium finish wasn’t ensured for the Greek team even if Anton Paz, of Vilagarcia predicted a good results for Modus Vivendi. As Kostas Karageorgiou confirmed: ‘Before the last race we were laying in 6th place. Takis had a very interesting discussion with Anton (Paz) the day before. He told my helmsman that his team and ours were the most likely winners of the worlds because neither of us had a result outside the top 8! He was right! All we needed was a top 3 result and we managed a bullet in the last race of the Championship! That was the perfect ending! Thinking back, the emotions of this year’s second place were far stronger than last year’s world title!’
This World Championship was quite special, as Kostas remembers: ‘The team arrived at Punta Ala Friday late afternoon. The scenery was majestic! A pine forest was ending right at the sea! We immediately felt like home. The marina is very professionally operated and made all the preparations for the regatta flow effortlessly.’
‘From the moment all the boats arrived at the venue the real party had begun. Hundreds of sailors preparing over 90 Platus was enough to put us in the right sailing mood. The Yacht Club Punta Ala is one of the best sailing clubs I have ever visited. The quality of the races was impeccable sailing the maximum number of races possible in very difficult and challenging conditions. This was probably the best regatta I have ever sailed’.
'After the success in theWorld Championship in Punta Ala, there will be a lot of other appointments Modus Vivendi. Match racing in Athens, first of all. Two big events are currently under way, one in December and one in May. We intend to focus on match racing in the future so we will participate in both these races. Our National Championship will be staged in 4 acts this year and we are going to be there to defend our title.’
‘And of course, last but most important the WC2010 in Alicante! Since the last finish in Punta Ala all we are thinking of is the next World Championship in Spain. There is no doubt that it is going to be the most competitive Platu25 regatta ever and we won’t miss it for anything’.
Come to Alicante – Live the Dream of the Worlds 2010
With less than nine months to the start of the 2010 Platu 25 World Championship in waters of Alicante, Real Club de Regatas has already started moving into the organization of what will be one of the greatest sailing events of 2010.
Alicante and the Real Club de Regatas have extensive organizational experience, evidence of this has been and still is, their Flagship Race and the ‘Trofeo Ciudad de Alicante-Tabarca’. In addition, the RCR Alicante was the first venue for the IMS 670Worlds, held in 2005.
The city of Alicante, meanwhile, has important experience in the result of work done in the organization of the Volvo Ocean Race2008-2009. This excellent work has been endorsed by the fact that they will host the next three editions, not to mention that every year the TP52 Med Cup Circuit kicks off in this sailing mecca.
With regards to our main event, the yacht club and the International Class live and breathe World environment. The official website (www.platu25worlds2010.com) is receiving a significant number of visitors, from countries like New Zealand, Japan, Greece, Argentina, Brazil and even China, as well as Europe, reflecting the high interest focused in the 2010 Alicante’ World Championship.
Pre-registration is showing huge interest and it has already exceeded fifteen units with clear intention to take part in the test. The Greek Modus Vivendi, as well as several units from Italy, Germany, Austria, in addition to the Spanish Fleet have already completed the first steps confirming their fight for the Trophy, in Alicante’s Waters next July.
For facilities, the Platú 25 fleet will have approximately 2.500 m2 of space, divided into nine zones. The first one will be the heart: the headquarters of the Real Club de Regatas de Alicante. Participants will also have a Race Village right at the Social Building’s Terrace. Zone 3 will be the floating dock, where all the boats will be moored right at the Paseo Marítimo, in the heart of Alicante’.
The Cup's organization will be located at the beginning of the floating dock near the temporary exhibition where the organization has also provided a lounge and shopping area.
In other words, the dream of any racing sailor: a great sailing spot together with brilliant organization and a warm and perfect shore venue... Would you miss it?
During the fifth week at sea in La Solidaire du Chocolat, the closeness of the finishes within the second wave of boats became hectic while the trailing pack took separate options, splitting either side of Jamaica. With a few of the boats very short of fuel and water, finding stable breeze in the difficult Caribbean conditions became a priority. However, on Friday a total of five Class40s crossed the finish line in the space of 11 hours after 5,000 miles and 34 days of racing (see a gallery of finish line images here).
On the morning of Monday 16th November, taking 5th placed in La Solidaire du Chocolat, British yachtsman, Tim Wright, and his Australian co-skipper, Nicko Brennan, crossed the finish line off Progreso at 1447 GMT on Wright's two year-old Akilaria Class40, Sail4Cancer. After a phenomenal race, Wright and Brennnan – two ex-Global Challenge sailors – were the first non-professional team to cross the finish line. On Tuesday morning, the Chilean duo of Felipe Cubillos and Daniel Bravo Silva on Desafio Cabo de Hornos crossed the finish line off Progreso at 0418 GMT in 6th place and just four hours later at 0800 GMT, the British duo of Peter Harding and Miranda Merron in 7th on 40 Degrees followed the Chileans into port.
While festivities continued in Progreso, there was a large gap before the next arrival: In 8th place, Jacques Fournier and Jean-Edouard Criquioche on Groupe Picoty remained isolated in the Yucatan Basin with 180 miles remaining until they reached Cape Catoche on the eastern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula and were maintaining a 184 mile lead over Denis Lazat and Frédéric Nouel in PLAN holding 9th place. The two groups in the trailing pack were now regrouping south of Cuba after the different options presented by Jamaica. Lazat andNouel still led the group having left Jamaica to starboard with a 38 mile lead over Erik Nigon and Marc Jouany in 10th on Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides who opted for the northern route. On Monday afternoon, Mike West and Paul Worswick on Keysource in the southern group briefly overtook Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides, but the British duo slipped back to 11th place overnight, although just 12 miles separated West and Worswick from Nigon and Jouany in terms of Distance to Finish.
Trailing Keysource by 46 miles having left Jamaica to starboard, the Franco-Mexican team of Patrice Carpentier and Victor Maldonado in 12th on Crédit Maritime held a 77 mile lead over David Consorte and Aubry Arnaud on Adriatech who sailed very close to the northern coast of Jamaica in the early hours of Tuesday morning. Meanwhile, the breeze finally arrived for Stephen Card and Shaun Murphy on ORBIS, south-east of Jamaica. Card and Murphy remained stalled in light airs making averages of below three knots until the breeze finally arrived and the British duo set off on starboard gybe making slightly under ten knots having committed to the route south of Jamaica.
Throughout La Solidaire du Chocolat, there was intense drama in North Atlantic with a string of six, deep depressions sweeping through the fleet providing horrific, upwind conditions. Early on the morning of Wednesday 18th November, the action was closer to land with strong winds blasting through Progreso, tearing two boats from their moorings in the town’s harbour. Both Initiatives-Novedia of race winners, Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy, and Sail4Cancer of Tim Wright and Nicko Brennan were washed up on the beach while the Chilean duo of Felipe Cubillos and Daniel Bravo Silva gave up the search for a RIB to transfer them to Desafio Cabo de Hornos and plunged into the huge waves, swimming 200 metres to their Class40 and motoring out of the harbour into open water.
While the race organisation and skippers recovered from the carnage in Progreso throughout Wednesday, the next Class40 was approaching and at 0238 GMT on Thursday morning, Jacques Fournier – the President of the Class40 Association - and Jean-Edouard Criquioche – Class40 Treasurer – crossed the finish line on Groupe Picoty taking 8th place. Meanwhile, with 131 miles to the finish, just 22 miles separated three boats rounding Cape Catoche with Denis Lazat and Frédéric Nouel on PLAN leading the trio in 9th with Erik Nigon and Marc Jouany on Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides and the British duo of Mike West and Paul Worswick on Keysource in 10th and 11th place. A further 47 miles south-east into the Caribbean, Patrice Carpentier and Victor Maldonado on Crédit Maritime kept a 45 mile lead over David Consorte and Aubry Arnaud on Adriatech in 13th, while just south-east of the Cayman Islands, Stephen Card and Shaun Murphy – the fleet’s backmarkers on ORBIS – made good speed averages with 554 miles of the race remaining.
Early on Friday 20th November, after 32 days of racing and five days after the race leader completed the course, three yachts crossed the Progreso finish line within three hours of each other. First to arrive in 9th place, Denis Lazat and Frédéric Nouel on PLAN finished under one and-a-half hours ahead of Erik Nigon and Marc Jouany on Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides in 10th. Under one hour later, the British duo of Mike West and Paul Worswick in 11th finished racing on Keysource. Then, seven hours later at 1044 GMT, Global Ocean Race 2011-12 entry, Patrice Carpentier and his co-skipper Victor Maldonado – the only Mexican sailor in the race – took 12th place on Crédit Maritime, chased across the line two hours later by Italian skipper David Consorte and his French co-skipper Aubry Arnaud on Adriatech in 13th place.
By midday GMT on Friday, only one boat remained racing with the Anglo-Australian duo of Stephen Card and Nicko Brennan on ORBIS making a little under ten knots in the Yucatan Channel with 240 miles to the finish line. With a broken watermaker and minimal fuel, Card and Brennan reported that they had enough water for 24 hours and were forced to tilt their diesel tank to drain the last reserves of fuel. Finally, on Sunday morning at 0932 GMT, ORBIS crossed the finish line in 14th place after 34 days and 17 hours of racing.
So, after 5,000 miles and almost 35 days of racing, the entire fleet of Class40s are across the line. For the mix of professional and amateur crews involved, the inaugural transatlantic race solely for Class40s has been a gruelling and demanding event. There have been casualties through damage sustained in the relentless conveyor belt of Low Pressure systems the fleet encountered in the North Atlantic and ten of the original line up of 24 boats were forced to retire, representing a 43 percent attrition rate. Despite the alarming figure, the larger, double-handed boats currently racing in the Transat Jacques Vabre have incurred a 30 percent attrition rate in North Atlantic storms.
A further comparison between these two transatlantic races is the spread within the fleet, which is strikingly similar: at 0730 GMT this morning, Monday 23rd November, the IMOCA Open 60 leader in the Transat Jacques Vabre, Marc Guillemot and Charles Caudrelier Brénac on Safran are off the coast of Panama 199 miles from the finish in Costa Rica and hold a 1,355 mile lead over the fleet’s back marker, Sam Davies and Sidney Gavignet on Artemis Ocean Racing. On 13th November, Class40 leaders in La Solidaire du Chocolat, Tanguy de Lamotte and Adrien Hardy on Initiatives-Novedia, were east of Cape Catoche at the same distance to the finish line in Progreso with an almost identical lead of 1,305 miles over the Class40 backmarkers, Patrice Carpentier and Victor Maldonado on Crédit Maritime.
Race Director of the Global Ocean Race 2011-12, Josh Hall, and his team were gripped by the action offshore. 'We have followed the Solidaire du Chocolat very closely and yet again a Class40 fleet has provided race viewers with exceptionally close racing and fascinating news delivered from the boats on a daily basis despite some incredibly adverse conditions,' says Hall.'A huge ‘bravo’ to the skippers, sponsors and race organisers,' he adds. 'I think the only downside has been the rate of attrition which was higher than expected. Hindsight is a beautiful thing - of course - but for future editions of the event, some thought could perhaps be put to adding a ‘gate’ off the south of Portugal to keep the fleet out of the worst of the autumnal North Atlantic weather and more in a Trade Wind route. However, hats off to everyone for a fantastic event at every level. We have witnessed the birth of what we are sure will become a classic Class40 race.'
View the Solidaire du Chocolat overall leaderboard here.
Quotes from the boats:
Felipe Cubillos (skipper Desafio Cabo de Hornos): 'As always, congratulations to the winners and it has been a privilege to share the race with Tanguy de Lamotte, Giovanni Soldini and Bernard Stamm. We don’t want to just pay tribute to these giants of offshore sailing, but also to congratulate all the other boats in the race: all the boats still racing and the boats that fought hard, but have had to retire. Many of the boats still racing are already with very little food, tired, very tired, and some are frustrated and with little water….but they continue fighting.'
Erik Nigon (skipper Axa Atout Coeur Pour Aides): 'In the middle of the night off Jamaica, a very powerful cigarette-type powerboat with three guys on board came very close alongside us to starboard and the men started to talk to us in a very urgent tone. They were all dressed in khaki and carried machine guns although there was no flag or official markings on their boat. There was no panic, but all sorts of grim scenarios flooded through our minds. They assured us they were with the coast guard and with their guns always pointed in our direction, they asked where we were going and what we were up to. We unrolled the Solidaire du Chocolat flag and when we gave our names, they checked them with the names painted on our coach house roof and seemed satisfied. After a bit more chat, they wished us good sailing and disappeared into the night giving us the chance to start breathing again.'
Shaun Murphy (co-skipper ORBIS): 'We’ve probably done 115 miles in the last 12 hours. Unfortunately, we still don’t have enough breeze or enough speed. We’ve been monitoring the water, so as long as we get reasonable wind, we should be fine. We’ve probably got five days worth if we don’t go too slowly. If we hit a light spot, the Cayman Islands look favourable. We can always just cut down our intake, which is more of an inconvenience than a hardship. We can always rehydrate the body with beer and tequila in Progreso!'
Jacques Fournier (skipper Groupe Picoty): 'This arrival is the end of a great adventure. I haven’t encountered conditions that hard for a very long time and it has left me with some lasting memories. It is also a landmark in sporting terms. We have received an incredible reception here in Progreso. La Solidaire du Chocolat is an international event: the start from Nantes and St. Nazaire, the race and then the finish here in Mexico. It all fits perfectly with the overall philosophy of Class40.'
Dear friends, colleagues, sailors and sport sailing lovers, America’s Cup enthusiasts in particular,
Since 2007 the America’s Cup has been discussed only in the Courts. I won’t go into the reasons and causes, but one thing is certain: the damage to the yachting world has been not only economical but also regards the image of our sport which has been enormously tarnished.
It will take years to get back to normality, and we must also take into account a period of world recession like the one we’re going through.
It’s time to start speaking out personally, making proposals and opinions. This is the spirit of my open letter, as a designer who has actively participated in the two recent events.
Let’s think about what will happen after the 33rd event which, due to legal wrangles, is involving only BMW Oracle Racing and Alinghi in a two-player game, excluding the rest of the world.
This challenge will (where? maybe? when?) be raced in accordance with the Deed of Gift next February, inevitably limiting public interest worldwide given the very brief format and competition between two.
This will be a challenge between multihulls which, from what we’ve seen so far, have been at the most merely a great example ofstructural engineering while at form level they have introduced nothing very new, similar as they are to the basic idea of an class A catamaran.
It will be a drag race and not a match race, won by the one that is faster or doesn’t break down. I must further underscore that contrary to what the parties in question have maintained in an attempt to draw attention to the event, multihull is not synonymous with innovation.
Whereas a return to monohulls, with a new set of rules, would leave space for real innovation which might then have fallout in the world of mass production and everyday yachting, which is one of the purposes of investment in research and sport.
So we may take it for granted that for the upcoming event, whoever the defender will be, we must return to a multi-challenger format, with rules written in a democratic way, with match races and monohulls.
Given the foregoing I should underline that this open letter aims neither at being a rule nor a sterile provocation but an opening up to discussion in order to bring clarity to the format of the 34th America’s Cup, before February 2010.The final class rules must therefore be written by technicians and experts, as in the past with Kenneth McAlpine with the ACC.
It would be a good thing if today’s ‘two leaders’ facing up in the Courthouse were to give a conciliatory sign to the whole sailing world by getting together to define what the future cup will be.
The winner of the 33rd Cup challenge will only have the choice of location. For the new class (though agreeing that the AC 33 class was interesting work that ended nowhere) it is all too clear that using this formula would be too great an advantage for the teams that contributed to drawing up the rules.
It would be fairer to recommence from zero; moreover the AC33 left little space for innovation. To my mind it would be more interesting to aim at a class governed by few but precise rules, managed by an unbiased Board and based on specifications that might be as follows:
• The main dimensions (LOA- BMAX – DRAUGHT – MAST HEIGHT) must be in multiples of 15 feet.
• A return to monohull keel boats in the spirit of the match race and the America’s Cup, with great freedom of design and constructional technological development, with few restrictions and with a very simple rule that leaves broad margins for creativity and technological development.
• Only the power of the wind is permissible for the propulsive system, so it must be a sailboat.
• The rule should not be an end in itself but should have an eye to the world of mass production. It should be done in such a way that the design and construction of hull and sail plan tackle “themes” that are transferable to the pleasure craft sector, as normally happens in the automobile industry.
• Before being a business event, it should be a sporting and also a technological event.
• Reduction of the environmental impact, right from the phases of creating the boat and its components.
• The possibility of using, for the entire construction of each component, only materials easily found on the market and not protected by exclusive patents, in the spirit of fairness of the DoG.
• Involvement of the media, with special attention paid to internet and mobile phones.
• In order to make the races more attractive to TV audiences, the matches should last not for hours but for no more than 45 minutes including the pre-start phase.
• The racing courses must consequently be of shorter length, and the public should be able to follow the races live, perhaps by holding themalong the coast.
• Choosing racing courses where there is wind and a minimum depth of 8 metres, thus bringing the America’s Cup to places where sailing culture and enthusiasm for sport will attract a great number of spectators to the races.
• Match races and fleet races only for the lead-up races, which may be carried out the first year with the ACC 5 or the TP 52.
• Duration of each event set at 24 months, excepting the firstevent which, serving as a flywheel for the following ones, should not be shorter than 36 months.
• Windward-leeward courses with start and finish at half leg and with the line as gate during the second close-haul beat to avoid changes of course as much as possible.
• Multichallenge race, fixing the number of teams at a maximum of 12 including the defender. Each team will have a licence which it can sell should it decided not to take part in the next event. This will contribute to giving greater value to the assets of each syndicate.
• Defining a max. budget of 24 Million Euros per Cup. Only one boat may be built and a maximum number of sailors and technicians engaged; two boat testing forbidden.
• Teams will consist of maximum 52 persons: 8 designers, 16 incl. shore team and sailmaker crew, 20 sailors including official, reserves, and coach, 8 for management, administration and communications; all members must be defined at the start of the event and may not change from one team to another, just like in a world football championship.
• Space for women, with at least 20% women in each team.
• Division on an annual basis of cash prizes in accordance with a ranking list drawn up at the end of the Cup lead-up races.
• Stable as rule and fixed for 11 years or 5 events.
• Easy transportability of the yachts from one racing course to another, with accessible means and reasonable costs (which a helicopter is not!)
We now come to the box rule of the new America's Cup class.
1. Typology: monohull, meaning a hull symmetrical along a plane of symmetry and without any hollows in the beam max. section and stern with one single mast suitable for propulsion by sail.
2. Only one hull per event is admitted per team, not earlier than 12 months from the final; modifications are permissible up to an overall 75 % of the hull, which may for example be three modifications of 25%.
3. LOGO the Cup stylised in outline.
4. The boats must show, in large letters, their country of origin and the progressive sail number issued on the basis of their launching date.
5. The only propulsive energy is drawn from the wind, with a maximum of 3 rigid or soft sails hoisted simultaneously under way.
6. Energy for aiding manoeuvres may be accumulated on board, but no generators or thermal engines for producing energy must be used.
7. MEASUREMENTS: each fixed or mobile part of the hull set in the most disadvantageous condition (e.g. drop keels) with vertical mast, must fall within a parallelepiped whose dimensions are 90 – 30 – 150 feet, (length-breadth-height).
8. LOA including bowsprits at maximum extension.
9. LOA including any rakes in maximum extension.
10. Heights measured from the lowest point of the hull appendage to the highest structural part of the mast in sailing trim.
11. Minimum displacement in sailing trim without crew, 12,000 Kg. During an event and the individual races displacement cannot be varied by more/less than 5%. This with view to leaving freedom of design.
12. maximum draught 15’ ( 4.57 m ) with ballast keel at maximum depth; if canting keel set vertically and completely lowered.
13. There may be surfaces moveable in all directions only if not ballasted. Ballasted keels many turn only on a longitudinal axis (only canting keel). 3 appendages may turn on a vertical axis, only 1 appendage on a longitudinal axis and only 2 appendages on transversal axes.
14. CONSTRUCTIONAL SCANTLINGS: free, but the designer must demonstrate that the boat can sail safely with winds up to 25 knots, on the open sea.
15. UNSINKABILITY: the yacht must be divided into three watertight compartments and have a reserve of buoyancy in buoyant material equal at least to the displacement in sailing trim.
16. STABILITY: stability as well as of form may be of mobile or fixed weight and/or dynamic stability linked to the lift of the appendages.
17. In any case the boat must pass a theoretical and/or practical self-righting test from a 90° heel with ballast in the most advantageous position, without the aid of the weight of the crew who must be in the cockpit.
18. DECK AND COCKPIT: the form and design is free, the only condition to be met is self-bailing with heeling up to 30°.
19. SAIL PLAN: free in the number and sizes of the sails which may be rigid or soft. Each team may measure only one mast within the limits of maximum height.
20. The use of energy stored on board under way is permissible. However it is prohibited to generate storable energy by anything other than the force of man and wind during the race.
21. Crew: 13 plus one guest.
22. Assistance: the boats must be accompanied at a safe distance by a support vessel equipped for first aid and with the possibility of accommodating all the crew in case of need. This boat must have such a hull as to minimise swell.
As previously stated, this open letter intends to be a basis for dialogue among all those who still believe today that the America’s Cup is the sports trophy par excellence, as well as a system for creating employment and innovation in full respect for the environment.
When you want to sail low and fast without a spinnaker pole, ask about UKHalsey's new A2 Runner. It makes your life easier for you to win. Shown above Marcel Liedts' Beneteau 50 BLAUWVOET on her way to winning the Cruising Division of the 2009 China Coast Regatta.
The increased sail area that can be carried when battens are used is shown above in yellow.
ARE YOU TIRED OF SAILING AROUND WITH A MAINSAIL THAT IS SO SMALL, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S REEFED? DO WANT THE PERFORMANCE OF A NORMAL, FULL-SIZED SAIL AND THE CONVENIENCE OF IN-MAST FURLING? If your answer to these questions is "YES", UK-Halsey has the solution;
With an AIR BATTEN system, you can have all the area of a normal mainsail without giving up your furling mast. You can enjoy the power and performance of a well-shaped, full sized mainsail while sailing and still easily roll it up when your sailing day is over. AND, you can reef your main and retain the same smooth, flat leech that the sail has when fully unfurled. SOUND TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE? CLICK ON THIS LINK AND CHECK OUT OUR VIDEO ON THE AIR BATTEN SYSTEM.
THEN CALL YOUR NEAREST UK-HALSEY LOFT AND PUT YOUR CRUISING BOAT IN HIGH GEAR
'Lifted' Takes 2009 J/80 N/A's
This year's 2009 North Americans did not lack for competition as the fleet includes four North American champions and three world champions in the 26-boat fleet.
Past J/80 World Champion Kerry Klingler won the North Americans for third time in the last four years sailing LIFTED. His team includedDoug Lynn,Bob Miller and Chris Fortin. This regatta was the end result of a racing program that started in the spring regatta at the AnnapolisNOOD, and continued to the Buzzards Bay Regatta, Lake Winnipesaukee J-Jamboree, and finished at the North Americans.
For Kerry it was fun to compete at all these events. 'Our dominance this year is the evolution of our sails and the fine tuning of our rig. We are faster than ever, and enjoy a slight speed gap that puts us on top of the fleet. One of the nice things is how well our sails hold up over time. We used the same sails over the whole year. I think our jib is just as fast now as it was when it was new.'
For the record 5 out of 8 races were won with UK Halsey sails. This is Kerry's third North American Championship in 4 years, Kerry has won the regatta 4 times. The series was fortunate with a great weather window, and had three good days of sailing. The first day was sailed in a 12 to 21 knot northlery, which is a shifty breeze on Galveston Bay. Staying in phase was the name of the game.
The second day started with a high pressure system and no wind. The committee was smart and postponed in the harbor until noon. After the sea breeze filled in, three races were sailed in light winds that built to 10 knots. The final day provided a great sailing breeze with winds 10 to 16 knots.
Overall the committee did a great job race management: good courses, square lines and fair beats.
Velocity & Matrix Veloce - A Fast Combination
Brian Carrick's Beneteau 31.7 VELOCITY, racing with a brand new MatriX Veloce double taffeta mainsail and a MatriX Veloce carbon genoa, finished second in the Audi Winter Series on Sydney Harbour and recently won the PHS Overall in the MonicaGeddes Sydney Harbour Islands Race.
Brian tells the story of winning the Geddes race:
'By starting time the breeze had kicked in to 10-12 knots so realizing the fluctuations up-harbour we went with No 1. genoa. My strategy was to let the big boats go and then come in behind them to avoid being run over. That plan was soon forgotten in the run to the starting line. We found ourselves on the line above the 65-foot VANGUARD and ahead of the 66-foot BROOMSTICK. So we just kept going.'
'We carried our masthead spinnaker from Sow & Pigsall the way toSnapper Island. For a while we were stuck under CAPRICE OFHUON and HP FARR LAP so after Fort DenisonI slowed down, ducked behind and above the others to get away. On the final stretch to finish line the wind was around 18-19 knots. Not having time to switch down to a smaller sail, we eased out the genoa and moved back the leads to twist open the top of the sail to depower. We were able to hold this while close reaching until we finished.'
'All-in-all it was a good result for VELOCITY & UK-Halsey Sails.'
Check out NauticEd - An Online Sailing School
NauticEd Online Sailing School will soon start using UK Halsey water safety videos for it’s soon to be released Safety at Sea online course.
NauticEd has many online classes teaching basic to advanced sailing techniques. For novices, NauticEd has developed a fun interactive sailing instruction game that teaches the relationship between wind angle and the set of the sails. The student must quickly adjust the set of the sails to maximize the speed of the boat around a racecourse. (See this simulator at the Learning Center of the UK-Halsey website by clicking here.) For advanced sailors,
NauticEd has courses such as Maneuvering Under Power, Sail Trim, Weather, Celestial Navigation, Coastal Navigation, and Bareboat Chartering. At the conclusion of each course, the student takes a real-time test and is awarded a certificate.
Founder Grant Headifen says he developed NauticEd for today’s generation of sailors; those who want the education delivered to them in a convenient and multimedia format, who are used to online learning and for those whose recreational time is at a premium. NauticEd delivers the theory and then, if desired, directs the student to a nearby sailing school for practical experience.
NauticEd has also developed an experience-based Sailing Certification which allows Bareboat Charter companies to see practical experience and the online theory classes all listed on one sailing resume.
ELUSIVE 2Arthur Podesta's Beneteau First 45R won both IRC and ORCClass 3 in another stormy Rolex Middle Sea Race.
Like the 2007 race, this edition of the 606-mile race that circumnavigates Sicily and Malta was a rough. During the four-day race, intense squalls rolled through and rolled-out boats in the middle of ink black nights. After battling the frequent squalls, Arthur's crew had to fight their way to the finish line in a light morning breeze to grab the victory away from Klaus Diederich's and Grant Gordon's Swan 45 FEVER. UK-Halsey France built a full set of MatriX Titanium sails last February, which was complemented by a very last minute extra-large Tape-Drive mainsail and a double-extra-large spinnaker made almost over night. The extra sail area gave ELUSIVE 2 the power that made the difference in the light-air push to the finish. Podesta said, ‘The shape of the new main totally transformed the performance of my First 45R, particularly in lighter airs.’
Podesta's daughter Maya summed up the highs and lows of distance racing perfectly in this report from the boat on the last night of the race:
‘We're up two fish but down one spinnaker, two halyards, and one sheet, as well as being down two metres of our spinnaker pole. Despite all that we're still at it! We've managed to jury rig our broken pole well enough to fly a chute. Last night was frustrating as the wind died and changed direction. We went from a medium kite to a light, to a code zero, to the wind seeker and finally to the light No. 1 in a short matter of time, but finally we settled into the light southerly beat. Eggs and Bacon this morning helped keep our morale up, as we were surrounded by about 300 dolphins close to Pantelleria.’
Podesta has now completed thirty races -- an unparalleled record and one unlikely to be matched for many years. His enthusiasm for the race continues to shine through, even when he has been in a battle, ‘This was as tough as the 2007 race, though perhaps not as treacherous. We hit our first major squall after Capo Passero and suffered an enormous broach. We recovered... eventually... and continued pushing forward. We had another enormous squall at Stromboli and then, all the way to Palermo, we had squalls every two or three hours. That made the race most tiring.’
As reported by Maya Podesta during the race, much of the problem weather occurred during the pitch black of a moonless night and Podesta senior confirmed the added peril of hail and temperatures cold enough for a snow shower. A couple of hours after the finish and a good meal, Podesta laughingly confirmed that he would be returning next year.
This race is a family affair for the Podestas. In the crew were Arthur's three children: Maya, Aaron and Christoph along with two cousins besides other regular crew.
'We Did It!'
We beat the boats we had to beat at the Sheldon Clark Regatta and we finished the year as the 'Best Beneteau First 40.7 on Lake Michigan' and won the Boat of the Year award.
It was an extremely hard fought battle all weekend, primarily against TURNING POINT, LA TEMPETE and COLLABORATION. It came right down to the last few seconds of the final race on Sunday when EXCALIBUR beat COLLABORATION and only one boat (LA TEMPETE) was between COLLABORATION and VAYU.
That did it! After the racing on Sunday I received many calls, emails and texts from competing skippers and crew with their congratulations to the entire VAYU team. Notable among these are the very special and warm greeting from Dave Hardy, skipper and on behalf of the entire crew of TURNING POINT, who up until the very end were our primary rival in these series competitions. (Somewhat sadly, TURNING POINT, with their finish of 7th on the last race, was knocked out of the top three position in both series.)
What a great crew we had this year. Everyone did a great job, starting at our spring crew meetings in March and April, all of the boatyard and harbor work on VAYU through April, the practices in May, and all of the racing this season. I only wish that Nigel and Lior could have been there this weekend for the finale. Many thanks to Wojtek for delaying his trip to Poland so he could do bow and to Jenna for pitching in over the weekend. Of course, in many ways, Ben and Andrew were there with us, so thank you Ben and Andrew.
VAYU crew: Ed Radzikowski, Amy Becker, Wojtek Wolantkowski, Paul Molenda, Rob Rafson, Ron Buzil, Jenna Herhold, Jason Navota, DS, Steve Zorn, Melissa Farrell. Not pictured: Lior Cohen and Nigel Brownett)
Sailors, officials and special guests from all over the world gather every November for the International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) Annual Conference and the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards.
The Awards are recognized as the highest honor a sailor can receive in recognition of his or her outstanding achievements and this year's official award ceremony took place on the evening of 10 November, in Busan, South Korea at the Busan Yacht Club in Haeundae-gu.
Although there were many exceptional sailors present at the award ceremony, only two of the five male and four female nominees could walk away with the prestigious ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year title and the winners of this esteemed award for 2009 were Torben Grael (BRA) and Anna Tunnicliffe (USA).
Success has seemed to follow Torben Grael throughout the many years of his sailing career. Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and nicknamed 'Turbine' for his nautical achievements, Torben Grael has won five Olympic medals, more than any other sailor in history, and can claim multiple world championship titles together with a Louis Vuitton Cup (Luna Rossa, 2000). His most recent achievement in the 2008-2009 Volvo Ocean Race, where he skippered Ericsson 4 to spectacular victory, is the one for which he was recognised at the recent ceremony.
It was only his second Volvo Ocean Race, yet Grael and his team were first home on five legs, finishing on the podium eight times out of ten total legs in the race. The Ericsson 4 team was also in the top three for all seven offshore scoring gates and on the podium for three of the seven in-port races, accruing a final 84% (114.5 points) of the total points available.
As if that were not enough, Ericsson 4 additionally entered the record books on 29 October after setting the 24-hour Monohull World Record, sailing a phenomenal 596.6nm, an average speed of 24.85 knots, during the race. After nine months and nearly 40,000 nautical miles of racing, Ericsson 4 was the undisputed winner of the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009 and the team crossed the finish line in St Petersburg with an unbeatable nine-point lead.
When asked how difficult it was to maintain his team's constant performance, Grael said, ‘There is no single reason why we were successful; I would say it was a combination of things. I think keeping the team together was one of the keys to our victory. We started in very good shape and were very well prepared.'
'We had time, a good boat, a good sponsor. Going into it I think we had a good chance. After the first two legs we just tried to keep on top of the board and get the most points we could in case the others made mistakes. I think it was a good strategy. We pushed when we had to and we were conservative when we thought it was important.
'When you see the results, I think we could have pushed harder, but that would not have made any difference on our end position, of which we are very proud. I'm very happy with it.’
Grael may have done a spectacular job of keeping his team on top as they raced around the world, but his achievements in the 2008-2009 nomination period are in no way limited to the Volvo Ocean Race. Almost immediately after finishing the VOR, Grael was found competing at Rolex Ilhabela Sailing Week, finishing the week second overall, a feat he matched a few weeks later, as tactician on Luna Rossa, at Cowes Week and the legendary Rolex Fastnet Race.
’It was a very special year for me,' said Grael, who has been nominated for the World Sailor Award five times in his career, yet who won for the first time last night. 'Winning the Rolex World Sailor of the Year is a fantastic achievement. I'm proud not only of what I have achieved, but also what my kids have achieved, so I can honestly say it's been a great year. This is a very difficult award to win as sailing is so varied and there are many good people out there, this year included, so I'm very happy.'
49-year old Torben Grael has shown time and time again that he is capable of taking on a challenge and has kept his experiences well-rounded by mastering Olympic, Offshore and Match Race sailing. He is capable of consistent performance, a 'must' in just about any type of racing, regardless of the circumstances. When asked what would be three highlights from his long career, Torben Grael laughed and said, 'That's not easy! However, winning my Olympic gold medals, the Louis Vuitton Cup and now the Volvo. I would say these are pretty good achievements.'
Outside of his racing, Torben Grael has worked with brothers Lars and Axel Grael to form the Instituto Rumo Náutico, known in Brazil as 'The Grael Project.' The programme offers underprivileged children social and educational opportunities through nautical experiences, while expanding access to sailing, rowing and canoeing, and promoting maritime culture.
When asked about his future plans, Grael said, 'I suppose it just depends on what kinds of opportunities I have. That's the good thing about sailing: there is just so much happening. There will always be something you have not done that would be fun to do. My immediate plans include the Star Worlds in Rio de Janeiro. I've been sailing the Star for so long, there is just no way I can miss that event, and then we'll see what comes after that.'
All in all, Torben Grael has proven himself more than worthy of the prestigious title of ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2009, and one can surely expect great things to come as Grael continues to make history.
But Grael was not the only sailor who left the presentation ceremony with a silver World Sailor Trophy and a prestigious Rolex timepiece. Anna Tunnicliffe was named the female winner of this prestigious award, and she is no stranger to success herself.
In the past twelve months, Anna Tunnicliffe has set her sights on a variety of challenges across a range of boats and disciplines. Tunnicliffe won the gold medal for the USA in the Laser Radial at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the first US Women's Olympic sailing medal in 20 years, and has kept herself busy ever since, sailing not only the one-person Laser Radial, but also a Snipe alongside her Match Racing commitments.
Tunnicliffe was born in Doncaster, England, but has lived in the United States since she was twelve. She began sailing at a young age and keeps herself busy with constant training and competing in a variety of classes.
‘I love sailing different classes,’ said Tunnicliffe, during her interview at the Awards Ceremony. ‘The two disciplines are quite different. I really like sailing by myself and it's a physical game in the Laser, all about putting yourself in the right position and working it as hard as you can. When you're with a team, it's still about working as hard as you can, but together with everybody.’
‘At first it was a bit hard, because I have to relinquish some of what I'm used to doing and give it to my team mates so I can get the boat going fast. But sailing with a team gives you someone to talk to, and we decide together where to go, so it's a bit more relaxing because you are not out there making all the decisions by yourself,’ Tunnicliffe said with a smile.
‘I would say that one of my personal highlights of the year was being able to compete quite successfully in two disciplines: Match Racing and Laser sailing. I'm really excited to see where it goes next year.’
Anna Tunnicliffe says that Match Racing is alluring to her ‘because of the intense pressure before, during and after the start, pitching one's own tactics and wit against one other boat, rather than a fleet, and also because of working with a team on a much larger boat than the Laser Radial.’ Yet she is the first to admit that sailing in many classes requires one to hone a different set of skills each time, and that diversity across many disciplines will vastly improve one's ability and knowledge in all aspects of sailing.
That ability to switch effectively may very well be the key to the many successes Tunnicliffe accumulated during the past year, which led to her nomination and, ultimately, her recognition at the Awards. Following the 2008 Olympic Games she pocketed 1st at the USWomen's Match Racing Championship in September and, that same month, came in 2nd at the Snipe Women's World Championship in Roquetas al Mar, Spain. Switching back to Match Racing, she took home another 1st at the ISAF Nations CupRegional Finals (N America & Caribbean) in November, and then just one month later picked up the gold at the first event of the inaugural ISAF Sailing World Cup series, the Sail Melbourne International Regatta in the Laser Radial.
At the end of that phenomenal year, in light of her overwhelming determination and resulting achievements, Anna Tunnicliffe was unanimously named US Sailing's 2008 Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year. In January 2009 she came in 1st at the next World Cup event, the Rolex Miami OCR and then took home the top position one month later at the Women's Laser Radial North American Championship. In February Tunnicliffe also won the silver medal at the Laser Midwinters East and was then back on the match racing scene in March, winning bronze at the ISAF Nations Cup Grand Final in Porte Alegre, Brazil before taking home the top position in the NYYC Women's Match Racing Regatta.
Once again back in the Laser Radial, Tunnicliffe set her sights on continuing her success in the inaugural ISAF Sailing World Cup. A win at the Semaine Olympique Française in Hyères, France, meant that Tunnicliffe had pocketed gold three times in the first four events of the seven event series. A bronze in Kiel, Germany (Kieler Woche), and no result lower than sixth throughout, gave Tunnicliffe an unassailable lead in the overall standings, guaranteeing her the crown in the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Laser Radial.
‘I think the key to my success may be that I come from a competitive family,’ said Tunnicliffe. ‘Not only in sailing we just have a strong competitive drive, so I always want to do better, I always want to learn. It's not always about winning. It's about learning and having fun while you're doing it.’
Anna Tunnicliffe was recognized for her achievements made during the qualifying period (1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009), but like Grael, she shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. Just last month she won the Rolex International Women's Keelboat Championship in Rochester, NY, USA, in addition to being runner-up at the Rolex Osprey Cup (Grade 1 Match event) in St.Petersburg, FL, USA.
‘It's such an honor to even be nominated,’ said Tunnicliffe, ‘but have them read your name out is just incredible. It makes all that hard work you've put in all your life worth it. Last year was hard and there were times when I wanted to take a break, but I really love the sport and I really love what I do, and to be awarded with this honor is just fantastic.’
So what's next? Anna Tunnicliffe is very clear: 'London Olympic Games 2012,' she said, confirming that once again that she is going for the gold, but this time in Match Racing. With a clearly defined mission, and well on her way to future success, Anna Tunnicliffe has worked incredibly hard to achieve as much as she has, a success acknowledged by the international sailing world as she became the female ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year 2009.
HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, an enthusiastic sailor and regular on the Farr 40 circuit, announced the winners of this year's Awards. The Crown Prince and Lionel Schurch of Rolex SA presented each winner with a Rolex Yacht-Master timepiece and the World Sailor Trophy - a marble sphere crowned by five silver spinnakers that represent the world and its continents.
In addition to the two winners, the well-rounded list of nominees for the 2009 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year award also included:
FEMALE SAILOR: Sam Davies (GBR) - Hilary Lister (GBR) - Blanca Manchón (ESP) and MALE SAILOR: Pascal Bidégorry (FRA) - Michel Desjoyeaux (FRA) - Paul Goodison (GBR) - Nathan Outteridge (AUS)
Five of the nine nominees were present for the Award Ceremony at the Busan Yacht Club in Haeundae-gu. Sam Davies and MichDesjoyeaux were currently competing in the Transat Jacques Vabre, whilst Pascal Bidégorry was on standby for a Jules Verne record attempt. Blanca Manchón was unwell and unable to make the trip to Korea.
No one knew ahead of time who the winners would be, making for a night of justified anticipation. All nominees present were introduced to the audience during the course of the evening, adding to the suspense. Faced with so many remarkable stories of commitment and achievement, no one could be sure who had won until the names were drawn from the sealed envelopes.
Approximately 400 international guests attended the Awards Ceremony, which was hosted by Danish sailor Jesper Bank, a triple Olympic medallist including bronze in 1988 here when Busan hosted the sailing competition of the Seoul Olympic Games. Bank is also a winner of the ISAF Match Racing World Championship and himself a past nominee for the World Sailor Award. All who attended last night's ceremony felt honoured to be in the company of so many talented sailors.
‘This is the one night of the year when we can marvel, celebrate and award the heroes of our sport,’ said Jesper Bank of the ceremony. ‘We have a proud sailing heritage and a strong sailing future.’
All should be proud of their accomplishments over the past year, and all look forward to the next edition of the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards, which will be in Athens in 2010.
The ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award is the highest award a sailor can receive in recognition of his or her outstanding achievements. The Awards are presented annually based on a worldwide selection process that incorporates an open invitation to nominations, followed by a vote amongst the 130 member nations of the International Sailing Federation (ISAF).
The Awards have been held every year since 1994 and past winners include Peter Blake (NZL), Ellen MacArthur (GBR), Robert Scheidt (BRA) and Russell Coutts (SUI). In 2008 the Awards were presented to four-time Olympic medal winners Ben Ainslie (GBR) and Alessandra Sensini (ITA).
Butch Ulmer's Rules School
Why You Shouldn't Tack In The Zone The following two-picture sequence provides visual evidence of why tacking in the zone at a windward mark is such a dangerous thing to do.
In the first picture, the boat on the left is on starboard tack and the boat on the right is either on port tack or has just passed head to wind and is tacking. (Her angle of heel would indicate she's still on port tack but her genoa seems to indicate that she has reached or passed head to wind. In the second picture, the port tack boat has probably completed her tack or is just above a close hauled course and the starboard tack boat has luffed above close-hauled and the boats appear to be overlapped by a reasonable amount.
Let's look at the situation rule by rule.
THE RULES:
If the right hand boat is on port tack, Rule 10ON OPPOSITE TACKS applies and states that ...'a port tack boat shall keep clear of a starboard tack boat'. If on the other hand, the boat on the right has passed head to wind, Rule 13 WHILE TACKING applies. It says, 'After a boat passes head to wind, she shall keep clear' of other boats until she is on a close-hauled course"
Right here it's worth looking at the first part of the definition of KEEP CLEAR. It says 'One boat keeps clear of another if the other can sail her course with no need to take avoiding action...'.
Clearly, given the proximity of the boats to each other and the apparent speed of the boat on starboard tack, 'avoiding action' on her part is going to be a necessity. Whichever rule applies, the right hand boat is in tough shape!
So far, the presence of the mark and the fact that both boats are in the ZONE has had no impact on the situation. However, Rule 18.3TACKING WHEN APPROACHING A MARK puts the nail in the coffin of the boat on the right.
Rule 18.3 applies when: A. Two boats are approaching a mark on opposite tacks. B. One of them changes tack and is subject to Rule 13 in the ZONE. C. The other boat is fetching the mark.
Since all these conditions have been met, Rule 18.3 applies here. The rule goes on to say that the boat that tacked; (a)shall not cause the other boat to sail above close-hauled to avoid her or prevent the other boat from passing the mark on the required side and (b)shall give mark-room if the other boat becomes overlapped inside her.
The left hand boat appears to have overstood the mark but still had to luff above close-hauled to avoid the boat that tacked. Note that had she decided to duck under the boat that tacked (certainly a possibility), she would be entitled to mark-room.
Taken in sequence, there are a string of rules that the port tack boat could be protested for breaking. In each case, even if the issue was in doubt (obviously there is no doubt here), a Protest Committee is likely to come down in favor of the boat on starboard so this is truly a 'no win' scenario.
What should the port tack boat do? 1. Don't go to the port tack layline. It's just asking for trouble. 2. If you find yourself there anyway (the wind does go left from time to time), consider bearing off and sailing fast so that your tack to round the mark will be outside the zone. 3. If you're on the layline and can do it, duck the starboard boat or boats. Giving up a couple of boatlengths is better than a DSQ. 4. If you're on the port layline and clearly crossing the starboard boat (s), don't tack at the mark. Continue on port tack and let the starboard boat(s) round inside you. Once again, you'll be giving up a little distance but that's better than the alternative.
Another factor to consider here is Rule 14 AVOIDING CONTACT.
The starboard tack boat is required to take avoiding action if he thinks the port tack boat is not keeping clear. A Protest Committee is going to listen carefully if the starboard boat says, 'I altered course to avoid contact'.
Even if his judgment of the distance between the boats is questionable, the PC is likely to give him the benefit of the doubt because he avoided contact.
New Rules Quiz & US Sailing Appeals Book 2009 - 2012 UK-Halsey has just completed a new rules quiz and it is now posted on the UK-Halsey website. It can also be downloaded by the owners of the Animated Rules Quiz Program. Quiz 27 deals with boats converging on a starting line, and it is based upon US SailingAppeal #36. You will need to know how this case was decided if you enter a crowded starting line! If a protest committee can get it wrong, you need to know how and why so that you will have a clearer understanding of the rules. Click here to see the situation, but if you want to see the answer, you’ll need to login into the UK-Halsey web site (www.ukhalsey.com), or buy the quiz program download from the UK-Halsey online store for $55. You can also buy a bundle of the Quiz Program download and the US SAILING APPEALS BOOK FOR 2009-2012 and get a $10 discount. The cost of the bundle with shipping in the USA is $81. Click here to go to the books and video section of the UK-Halsey online store.
THE US SAILING APPEALS BOOK FOR 2009-2012 The hard copy of the US SAILING APPEALS BOOK FOR 2009-2012 is now available from the UK-Halsey Store. The book contains both the US Sailing Appeals and the ISAF Casebook for 2009-2012.
'During many of the rules seminars I've given, I joked about having the rule book on my bedside table just in case I had trouble getting to sleep. It is not very exciting reading! Not so with the Appeals Book! It is interesting, compelling reading and not unlike a book of short stories on your favorite subject,' says Butch Ulmer.
The appeals that deal with sailing situations are diagrammed so that you get a clear visual of what occurred. The appeals that deal with race management, protest hearings , and so on convey the 'whys' and 'why nots' involved in these procedures. The writing is direct and to the point. You come away with a good working knowledge of what the rule or rules really mean. 'I can't imagine anyone who races or runs races not having this compilation of the ‘case law’ of our sport. It's a must for understanding the rules,' said Ulmer.
Class 40 On The Move
During the Wellington, New Zealand, stopover of the 2008-09 Portimão Global Ocean Race, Race Director Josh Hall arranged a series of meetings with production yacht expert, Lapo Ancillotti, working towards the goal of building a New Zealand Class40 production yacht. Within eight months, Ancillotti secured an investor for his business, BTBoats, and contracted with Farr YachtDesign and Cookson Boats and now announces that production of the Kiwi 40FC will begin shortly.
Farr Yacht Design is widely regarded as one the world’s leading yacht design groups and is one of the world’s premiere builders of racing yachts. ‘We’ve been watching this class for a while now, and looking for the right opportunity to join the fun,’ said Patrick Shaughnessy, President of Farr Yacht Design (FYD). ‘The team at FYD is excited because this is an ideal opportunity to trickle down some of the great design innovations that we’ve developed in our Open 60 and Volvo 70 work.’ With this background and pedigree in place, the Farr/Cookson/BT Boats cocktail will produce a spectacular Class40 that is sure to be in demand.
Organisers of the Global Ocean Race have a firm target of creating sustainable benefits in the countries that the event visits and this is a particularly rewarding result of this policy. ‘We are absolutely thrilled that Lapo Ancillotto has succeeded in putting this exciting venture together - it is one that will create jobs as well as what we believe will be an iconic boat,’ said Josh Hall, the event’s Race Director. ‘The Kiwi 40FC will be a natural evolution of Class40 design concept and we are impatient to see the first boat afloat – exciting times indeed.’
It is hoped that the first Kiwi 40FC can be delivered in time to compete in the Route du Rhum, single-handed transatlantic race in November 2010 and there are already numerous enquiries from prospective buyers. ‘This is truly a New Zealand boat and we will be bringing our collective talents together to design and build a remarkable production Class40,’ assures Lapo Ancillotti of BTBoats.
‘The Class40 has now firmly arrived in the Southern Hemisphere and we anticipate worldwide interest in the boat,' he predicts. “We would like to thank Josh Hall and his team for all their encouragement and assistance and we expect a number of Kiwi 40FCs to be on the start line of the Global Ocean Race 2011-12.'
In fact, BTBoats confirmed on Wednesday that they have an entry spot in the Global Ocean Race 2011-12 for at least one Kiwi 40FC, bringing the total number of Class40s entered to nine boats. ‘We have secured a place on the start line for one of our boats as a ‘works entry’,’ said Ancillotti. ‘This race inspired us to create the Kiwi 40FC and we will field an entry in this fantastic event.’
‘The BTBoats entry confirmation is fabulous news,’ commented Josh Hall. ‘This is a great day for BTBoats, the Global Ocean Race and the boatbuilding industry of New Zealand.’
Tall Ship 'Oliver Hazard Perry' Has Moved to Providence
Rhode Island’s Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry has been towed from Newport Harbor to Providence, where she will undergo major steel and mechanical work at Promet Marine Services. Departure was scheduled for Tuesday, November 24, with towing provided courtesy of Reagan Construction and its tugboat Hope. Launch service – for VIPs and media gathered for the occasion – was donated by Oldport Marine.
'We are calling it a shave and a haircut, but it’s actually preparation for Phase II construction,' said Perry Lewis, vice chair of the non-profit Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) organization (formerly Tall Ships Rhode Island), about the 132-foot steel hull’s visit to Promet.
He explained that the shipyard specializes in high quality ship repair and accommodates ocean going vessels with deep-water docking facilities on nine acres of Providence River waterfront. 'The ship’s bottom will be power washed and zincs and anti-fouling paint applied; the now-iconic bulwarks will be cut off in preparation for the new deck; and survey work, an ongoing process for U.S. Coast Guard certification, will continue with every plate in the steel hull scheduled for inspection while the hull is out of the water.'
Since the Oliver Hazard Perry arrived in Newport at the end of October 2008, OHPRI has generated significant financial support toward the completion of the vessel, which will be a working education at sea ship, privately run but belonging to and representing the people of Rhode Island.
According to OHPRI Advisory Board Chair Tom Weschler, who estimates a cost of $5.7 million to complete the Oliver Hazard Perry, the organization underwent its own makeover to more clearly define its mission. 'Tall Ships Rhode Island changed its name to Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island and incorporated Education at Sea into its logo to make clear we are building a school ship and to better reflect our ongoing commitment to education,' he said.
The project’s extended focus has received enthusiastic response from Rhode Island’s public, independent and charter schools, as well as universities and trade schools. These institutions will utilize the Oliver Hazard Perry for experiential education and marine certification programs. This interest has prompted Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island to organize a statewide symposium in February 2010 to enable Rhode Island’s institutions to develop their programs and partnerships with Oliver Hazard Perry.
Kevin McCarthy (left), President & CEO of NewportFed, and Bart Dunbar, Chair of Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island, take an Oldport Marine launch ride in Newport Harbor where the hull of Rhode Island’s future Tall Ship (background) has been moored this summer. The NewportFed Charitable Foundation has pledged $10,000.00 over the next two years to support the Oliver Hazard Perry and its Education at Sea program. Photo credit: Mark Dobrott.
NewportFedMakes Donation
The newest corporate supporter of OHPRI is NewportFed, which – through its NewportFed Charitable Foundation – has pledged $10,000.00 over the next two years to support the school ship Oliver Hazard Perry and its Education at Sea programs. Once it is sailing in 2011, the Oliver Hazard Perry will measure in at 207 feet in length and boast a majestic three-masted, square rig that stands 13 stories tall. It will be a working vessel, supporting itself from educational programs, with an office, staff and crew that has a budget of $1 million each year. 'It is our honor and privilege to provide financial assistance to this important slice of history and wonderful educational resource for young people,' said Kevin McCarthy, President and CEO of NewportFed, which is headquartered in Newport and has six bank locations in Rhode Island and Connecticut.
Two New Ways To Give:
To complete the building of the Oliver Hazard Perry, the largest active education at sea Tall Ship in the U.S., the non-profit Oliver Hazard Perry Rhode Island (OHPRI) organization is soliciting a limited number of 'Shipbuilding Syndicate Members' at four levels of participation between 2009 and 2011. (Benefits for each level are described at www.OHPRI.org.)
The Shipbuilding Syndicate Member levels are (with vacancies remaining): two $250,000 Members (2 remaining); eight $100,000 Members (6 remaining); ten $50,000 Members (5 remaining), and twelve $25,000 Members (10 remaining).
In addition, membership can be acquired at the Plank Owner level. Naval tradition defines a Plank Owner as an individual who is a member of the crew when a ship is being built and commissioned. In 2009 and 2010, OHPRI seeks 180 Plank Owners at four distinct levels of participation. (Benefits for each level are described at www.OHPRI.org.)
'We are making strong progress toward constructing the three masted education at sea Tall Ship Oliver Hazard Perry and further developing the Newport-based program that owns and operates it,' said OHPRI Chair Bart Dunbar. 'The Shipbuilding Syndicate Member and Plank Owner giving programs allow us the privilege of permanently recognizing our most important supporters.
Full subscription to these two programs will secure the $2.6 million (combined with a pending $1.5 million Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation guaranteed loan) of philanthropic and in-kind support needed to complete construction and commission the most advanced education at sea Tall Ship in the U.S. for the benefit of our next generation of young people, mariners and marine tradesmen and women.'
To contribute to the Oliver Hazard Perry project, visit www.OHPRI.org or contact Perry Lewis at OHPRI headquarters, 401-841-0080, or David Guertin at Vantage in Philanthropy, david@vantageinphilanthropy.com, 401-619-3990.
Visit www.OHPRI.org to learn more about this project.
Those lads in Dubai (above) are looking well set-up in their flotation jackets. It looks as though they are learning all the necessary skills to enjoy sailing and stay safe. We all have a responsibility to set an example in safety on the water and assist all those trying to reduce the tragic toll of drowning in recreational boating. Click on the banner below and see what the Boating Industry Association of New South Wales is doing to help boaties stay safe.
Yes! It is the tail end again. I hope you enjoyed 'A Brush with Sail' this month, as I hope you enjoy your sailing.
But please - be careful - be waterwise and go safely.
Until next month, all the best... Jim.
November 2009
A Brush with Sail is published by Ocean Heritage Partnership, Wellington, New Zealand. Email: jim@abrushwithsail.com or phone: +64 4 566 1383.
Australian and New Zealand races through the years, this company has an outstanding reputation in multihulls, ranging from cruisers in the Caribbean to RTW racers.
radial-head construction technique. Not being able to produce spinnakers fast enough, UK branched out with independently owned franchises. The computer programs UK developed for sail design and construction ensured that sailors across the country could buy the same fast sails from any UK loft.
Whitbread RTW efforts (ROTHMANS in '89/90, FORTUNA in '93/94 and both Team EF and SILK CUT in '97/98) as well as maxi- and super-yachts. In recent years, Halsey-Lidgard supplied Super Yachts like REBECCA (140’ ketch), ADIX (198’ schooner), SUMURAN (94’ ketch), SUNRISE (140’ ketch), EXTRA BEAT (112’ sloop), ARRAYAN (120’ sloop), PHILANDERER (130’ sloop), HETAIROS (145’ ketch) and others.
This year's 2009 North Americans did not lack for competition as the fleet includes four North American champions and three world champions in the 26-boat fleet. 
NauticEd Online Sailing School will soon start using UK Halsey water safety videos for it’s soon to be released Safety at Sea online course. 
‘We're up two fish but down one spinnaker, two halyards, and one sheet, as well as being down two metres of our spinnaker pole. Despite all that we're still at it! We've managed to jury rig our broken pole well enough to fly a chute. Last night was frustrating as the wind died and changed direction. We went from a medium kite to a light, to a code zero, to the wind seeker and finally to the light No. 1 in a short matter of time, but finally we settled into the light southerly beat. Eggs and Bacon this morning helped keep our morale up, as we were surrounded by about 300 dolphins close to Pantelleria.’ 
Organisers of the Global Ocean Race have a firm target of creating sustainable benefits in the countries that the event visits and this is a particularly rewarding result of this policy. ‘We are absolutely thrilled that Lapo Ancillotto has succeeded in putting this exciting venture together - it is one that will create jobs as well as what we believe will be an iconic boat,’ said Josh Hall, the event’s Race Director. ‘The Kiwi 40FC will be a natural evolution of Class40 design concept and we are impatient to see the first boat afloat – exciting times indeed.’
