Barcelona World Race

Hugo Boss closed to within 12 miles of race leader Paprec-Virbac 2 on Wednesday, before slightly falling back again over the afternoon at the Barcelona World Race. At the 16:00 position report, Hugo Boss was 21 miles behind, but sailing a couple of knots slower. Still, it's been an 18 mile gain over the past day, so the cat and mouse game continues.

Barcelona World Race

Veolia Environnement skippered by French sailors Roland Jourdain and Jean-Luc Nelias dismasted at 1800 GMT today (Monday, 17.12.07), the skippers are unharmed, and the boat itself undamaged. Veolia Environnement, lying in third place in the Barcelona World Race, was sailing in 22 knots of wind with full mainsail and gennaker, when they were hit by a stronger 30 knot gust of wind forcing the boat to 'nose-dive' into a 2-3 metre wave - the mast broke suddenly 3.5 to 4 metres up from the deck. The position at the time of dismasting was 48 49.49N, 82 42.41E, approximately 1660 miles south-west of the SW tip of Australia and approximately 500 miles east of the Kerguelen Islands.

After cutting the mast away to avoid secondary damage to the boat, the skippers managed to save the boom and one of the outriggers (that support the mast) and once daylight comes will use these parts to build a jury rig to propel the boat under sail, without assistance, towards Australia. Currently however they are advancing at 5 to 6 knots under engine.

Barcelona World Race

In the wee hours this morning, Veolia Environnement departed from the Kerguelen Islands to rejoin the Barcelona World Race. It was 00:50 GMT when skipper Roland Jourdain slipped his mooring in Port aux Francais, to sail out again into the Southern Ocean.

It was a slow beginning as for several hours the boat was sheltered in the lee of the island. But by mid-morning, Veolia Environnement was back up to pace and trying to cut into the advantage held by the leaders. By the 14:00 GMT position report, Veolia Environnement was the fastest boat in the fleet. The stop was necessary to repair their engine, a critical component in keeping batteries charged and electronics functioning. Helped by a team of mechanics and technicians, Roland Jourdain and Jean-Luc Nélias worked hard to find the source of the problem.

America's Cup

Judge Cahn spoke, and it appears most likely that we will see multihulls going at it next summer. And that will be OK: the path will clear up again. As a marketing exec recently remarked "all this will add appeal to the surrealism of this surreal event". One can only keep marveling at the staying entertainment power of the AC: all the ingredients are there and the most amazing part is that the particular mix was concocted over 150 years ago!

Barcelona World Race

The second placed boat in the Barcelona World Race fleet has made a dramatic gain over the past 24 hours, cutting the lead of Paprec-Virbac 2 by more than half. More distressing for skipper Jean-Pierre Dick and co-skipper Damian Foxall, their plan to sail further south in an attempt to find more favourable conditions resulted in them seeing an iceberg - the first one spotted so far in the race.

Volvo Ocean Race

The Green Team has confirmed it will be the seventh entry into the Volvo Ocean Race 2008 -09, and British sailor Ian Walker is named as skipper.

Ian Walker's achievements in the last 12 years include two Olympic medals, four World Championships and being skipper and tactician for two America's Cup campaigns (GBR Challenge and +39). His most recent success has been as skipper of the TP52 Patches where he worked alongside owner Eamon Conneely to secure the global championship in 2006.

As skipper of the Green Team entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, Walker will oversee both the design and build programme along with crew selection.

Ian will get his first taste of sailing on a Volvo Open 70 in this year's Sydney Hobart Race.

The build of the Green Team Volvo Open 70 is underway at McConaghy Boats in China. The moulds are completed and the hull lamination has begun. Reichel Pugh and the structural engineers at Applied Structural Analysis Ltd (ASTA) are working on all the drawings to a strict timescale. The deck plan is well advanced as is the sail plan. The rig is under design and the team have completed their first sail wind tunnel testing in Auckland New Zealand. The aim is to have the boat commissioned in June 2008.

The team has secured initial funding for the team from a combination of private investment (led by a project board which includes John Kileen, Enda O'Coineen, Eamon Conneely and Jamie Boag as Team CEO), commercial sponsorship and government backing.

Barcelona World Race

The three leaders in the Barcelona World Race are pushing deep towards 'iceberg country'. Veolia Environnement, in second place, awoke to find a couple of centimeters of snow on deck this morning. And race leader Paprec-Virbac 2 is already making course corrections to avoid the threat of icebergs.

Barcelona World Race

Sylvie Viant, Race Director of the Barcelona World Race, has been notified by skipper Jeremie Beyou onboard the fourth-placed IMOCA 60 Delta Dore that his boat has been dismasted. Both he and co-skipper Sidney Gavignet are unhurt and safe onboard and the boat itself is structurally intact.

Jeremie contacted the Race Direction team by Iridium satellite phone at 0120 GMT (11 December) just minutes after the incident. The Race Direction Team is in regular contact with the two French sailors Jeremie Beyou and Sidney Gavignet and their shore team headed up by Gilles Chiorri. The skippers have 188 litres of diesel onboard, which will provide approximately 60 hours of motoring, the equivalent of approximately 240 miles. The team are also already studying the options of a jury rig using spare mainsail battens onboard.

More Spanish

After Desafio Espanol and the new Ayre Challenge, a third Spanish syndicate is appearing.

While Vicente Rambla, the Deputy President of the Valencian Government, continues to state that Desafio unites all the sailing clubs of Spain, Real Club Maritim de Barcelona and Real Club Nautico de Madrid have joined their efforts to support Decision Challenge, a new challenger for the 33rd America's Cup.

Barcelona World Race

In a heartbreaking turn of events, skippers Vincent Riou and Sébastien Josse aboard PRB are almost certainly out of the Barcelona World Race. This morning, the team which has been alternating the race lead with Paprec-Virbac 2 over the past three weeks, lost the top three metres of its mast, making it impossible to continue racing. Both skippers are safe and the boat is now sailing towards Cape Town.

They were sailing at about 20 knots under the big gennaker (and with a reef in the mainsail) and they were down below with the auto-pilot on looking at the weather conditions, when the boat hit a wave and heard a crack. The two skippers thought it had broken a halyard or something. They went on deck and saw the main sail still in place but the top part of the mast hanging down.

Barcelona World Race

"We just covered 500 miles in 24 hours!" shouted an overjoyed Alex Thomson during today's video conference. As the Barcelona World Race enters its second quarter with the majority of the fleet in the Southern ocean, Hugo Boss has been putting on a real show for the past 48 hours, culminating with a new world record (monohull, up to 60 foot - subject to WSSRC ratification).

Groupama

Today, Thursday 6th December, Groupama 3, skippered by Franck Cammas will be on standby. Docked at Lorient, NW France, its home port, the 31.50 m trimaran with four records already under its belt, will wait for favourable weather conditions to begin its Jules Verne Trophy attempt.

At the Lorient base, the crew is virtually complete. From Brazil, South Africa and all around France, the sailors have joined the maxi-trimaran which they know so well, since the majority of them were aboard during the four records broken between May and July: Discovery Route, Miami New-York, North Atlantic crossing and the distance covered in 24 hours.

Under the direction of team manager, Stephane Guilbaud, the ten adventurers are gradually entering into what will be their daily routine around the planet.

Supreme Court against alinghi

The Supreme Court of the State of New York yesterday ruled against Alinghi, the Swiss defenders of the America's Cup, upholding the legal challenge of BMW Oracle Racing (BOR) and making the American team the official challengers for the trophy.

Justice Herman Cahn's 18-page judgment in the case of the Golden Gate Yacht Club v Societe Nautique de Geneve (the teams' representative yacht clubs) was damning of Alinghi and agreed with BOR's central contention that Club Nautico Espanol de Vela's (CNEV) status as official challenger - which allowed it to negotiate the much disputed parameters of the next America's Cup with Alinghi - is illegal.

Barcelona World Race

Vincent Riou and Seb Josse on PRB have used a fast passage through the doldrums to take the lead from Paprec-Virbac 2.

PRB was set up about 30 miles to the west and this made all the difference, the distinctive orange boat emerged from doldrums this morning over 20 miles ahead. Paprec-Virbac 2 was up to speed again not long afterwards and with third placed Veolia Environnement nearly 100 miles back the two leaders will now sprint down to the third scoring gate 350 miles away off the coast of Braz! il.

America's Cup

During the past months, AC Management (ACM), the Société Nautique de Genève (SNG) and the Club Náutico Español de Vela (CNEV), in conjunction with the competing Challengers, have worked hand in hand to develop the rules and regulations for an event in 2009. These rules and regulations were agreed by all competitors and supported by the most recent entrants bringing the number of registered syndicates to eight, with an additional two currently filing entry documents.

The ongoing uncertainty around the conclusion of the New York court case brought by BMW Oracle Racing (BOR) leaves the organisers no choice but to delay the event, as many indicators demonstrate a lack of viability to stage the event in 2009 to the same standards as the 32nd America's Cup.

The competitors' entry deadline of 15 December remains valid and for now, ACM, SNG and CNEV await the outcome of the legal process. If the New York Supreme Court rules that CNEV is valid and BOR chooses not to appeal the decision, ACM will endeavour to work with the competitors to adapt the existing rules and regulations and put in place a new framework for an event to take place at a later stage in Valencia.

Should the US Courts rule against CNEV, SNG will accept the Golden Gate Yacht Club Deed of Gift Challenge and meet them in a vessel, possibly a multihull, in accordance with the terms of the Deed of Gift.

America's Cup

Two new teams have challenged for the next America's Cup, whose scheduled running in 2009 is mired by so much uncertainty.

They are the familiar 'Latin Rascals', the Mascalzone Latino team owned by Naples shipping operator Vincenzo Onorato who participated in Auckland 2003 and Valencia 2007, and a new entity from Spain, the Real Club Nautico de Denia.

Denia are part of the Valencian Communitat, who together with the Spanish government agreed a 75 million GBP hosting-rights deal with Swiss Cup holder Ernesto Bertarelli.

Onorato's entry is the more interesting one. At the start of the summer he was an active supporter of the legal action in the New York Supreme Court, brought by Larry Ellison's Golden Gate YC over the validity of another Valencian yacht club, the CNEV, with whom Bertarelli had created a skewed set of rules for the next Cup.

Yet last Thursday Mascalzone Latino conspicuously did not join three other teams - Britain's Origin, Team New Zealand and South Africa's Shosholoza - whose challenges were already accepted by the Swiss in signing the compromise settlement offered by the Americans, only to be rejected by Bertarelli.

Transat Jaqcues Vabre

At 15h37and 05 sec (GMT), Michel Desjoyeaux and Emmanuel Le Borgne took victory in the 8th edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre (60' monohull category) after 17d 02h37sec of fiercely contested racing. It is the first victory for the two men on this course and also the first big win for the 60 footer, Foncia, a year from the Vendee Globe. This performance is all the more deserving, given that the tandem weren't routed. This was a deliberate choice, but it was a choice which they accepted in the guise of training for the big single-handed loop of the world.

The two skippers arrived in Bahia in great shape, despite the stress of the last few hours where they saw Safran homing in on their stern at a rapid rate...

Volvo Ocean Race

Singapore will host a stopover for the 2008-09 race. It is the first time in the 34-year history of the event that a southeast Asian destination has been included in the route. The fleet, which is scheduled to stop over in Singapore in late December 2008, will call at the resort island of Sentosa and be based at the new, state-of-the-art One Degree 15 Marina Club, one of Asia’s leading marinas. The Singapore announcement follows the recent confirmation of another first - the race finish in the historic Russian port of St. Petersburg. Glenn Bourke, Volvo Ocean Race CEO welcomed the new southeast Asian stopover. “Singapore is vastly experienced in managing major sporting events and, as a testament to this, has just recently acquired the Formula One Grand Prix. The facilities provided to us by One Degree 15 on Sentosa Island will be world class,” he said. Arthur Tay, director of ONE Degree 15 Singapore Ocean Race Pte Ltd and chairman of One Degree 15, said: “We are privileged to host such a high-profile event like the Volvo Ocean Race, often referred to as the F1 of the sailing world. Singapore is fast gaining a reputation as an international sailing hub and an exciting lifestyle destination. Now we are all set to welcome the world’s fastest ocean racing yachts. These are truly exciting times for Singapore.” Singapore will stage the second in-port race of the series (the first will be in Alicante, Spain, ahead of the leg one start) and it will provide a dramatic backdrop to the inshore racing. The selection of Singapore marks another milestone in the 2008-09 iteration of the race after the decision to take the offshore odyssey through Asia. The race route is nearing finalisation with the offshore start set for Alicante on 11 October, 2008.

Barcelona World Race

By Friday night, the entire Barcelona World Race fleet is expected to be sailing on the Atlantic Ocean. The question facing the skippers is how far west to go as they set up for the next scoring gate at the Canary Islands. The 'rhumb line' (shortest distance to next mark) is not necessarily the fastest route.

The first weekend of the Barcelona World Race was a tense one for the sailors as the Atlantic throws unusual conditions at them. Light, inconsistent winds, and an upwind beat to the Canaries wouldn't have been in the recruiting brochure for the race, but that's what they face. At the front of the fleet, Paprec Virbac 2 regained the lead overnight and extended over the course of the day, sailing slightly quicker than PRB.

Transat Jacques Vabre

After 10 days 38 minutes and 43 seconds of racing at a theoretical average speed of 18.03 knots, Franck Cammas and Steve Ravussin on Groupama 2 crossed the finish line in the Transat Jacques Vabre at 13h40'43" (CET) or in other words 9h40'43" (local time) today, Wednesday, 14th November. This was Franck Cammas's third win in his five Transat Jacques Vabre races. The record was smashed by 1 day 22 hours 31 minutes and 58 seconds (former record from 2003: 11 days 23 hours 10 minutes and 41 seconds).

After 10 days 9 hours 49 minutes and 6 seconds of racing at a theoretical average speed of 17,36 knots, Lionel Lemonchois and Yann Guichard on Gitana 11 crossed the finish line in the Transat Jacques Vabre at 21h51'06" (CET) or in other words 18h51'06" (local time) today, thursday, 15th November. Gitana 11 is finishing the race 9 hours and 10 minutes after the winner, Groupama 2.

After 10 days 16 hours 57 minutes and 57 seconds of racing at a theoretical average speed of 16,89 knots, Pascal Bidegorry and Yvan Ravussin on Banque Populaire crossed the finish line in the Transat Jacques Vabre at 04h59'57" (CET) or in other words 1h59'57" (local time) today, thursday, 15th November. Banque Populaire is finishing the race 16 hours and 19 minutes after the winner, Groupama 2 with serious damage in the main hull.

Barcelona World Race

After a long, challenging night with periods of no wind, the Barcelona World Race fleet was happy to wake up to wind that built to the 15 to 20 knot range over the course of the day. They weren't as thrilled with the direction however - the Easterly flow meant beating directly upwind towards Gibraltar.

The light conditions overnight saw a slight compression of the fleet (first to fifth is just a 29 mile separation on the 16:00 GMT position poll) and the forecast means the strategy is now quite similar for the top six boats, who have all darted in towards the coast of Spain in anticipation of a Northerly shift later tonight.

Temenos II and Estrella Damm have sailed in nearest to the coast (closing to within a half mile before tacking out again), while the race leaders, PRB with Paprec-Virbac 2 chasing just three miles behind, have stayed slightly further offshore.

Barcelona World Race

The Barcelona World Race is underway, with a clean start on Sunday afternoon, under bright, sunny skies on a warm autumn day. In fact, conditions couldn't have been better for the start, with the wind building to a Southerly of near 10 knots, just ahead of the 13:00 start time (12:00 GMT).

An enormous spectator fleet of over 500 boats was on hand to celebrate the fleet of nine boats starting the Barcelona World Race, with many thousands more crowded along the shoreline to pay tribute to the 18 skippers as they embark on their three-month race around the planet.

At exactly 13:00 local time, famed offshore sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, fired off the starting gun, setting the fleet on its way. The southwesterly breeze made for a downwind start, and with gennakers and spinnakers set, the fleet looked spectacular.

Crossing the starting line first was Educación sin Fronteras, with local sailor Albert Bargués and his co-skipper Servanne Escoffier, at 26, the youngest sailor in the race. Nearly immediately following the start, PRB roared off into the spectator fleet, flying along at 12 to 14 knots under spinnaker through the crowded waters. No collisions were reported, although several close calls certainly would have left hearts pounding.

Tacking towards shore en route to Sitges, at 16:15 local time, PRB still holds the lead, with Veolia Environnement, Estrella Damm, Hugo Boss, and Delta Dore all giving chase close behind. The forecast is for lighter winds on Monday, so putting miles under the keel now is critical.

Transat Jacques Vabre

Groupama 2 (Orma) should pass under the 1000 miles to race before crossing the line in Bahia, Brazil. In comparison, after 7 days at sea, Ecover (Imoca) will still have 2.000 miles to sail. Boat and sail designs are at stake (as regards the evolution of the boats) as well as tactics and weather patterns. It took 2 perfect gybes to Mike Golding and Bruno Dubois (Ecover 3) to take the lead off Safran in the Imoca class after 7 days at sea as they crossed 50 meters in front of Groupe Bel in the night. Groupe Bel still hot on her heels - only 3.3 miles behind. But the game is far from being over as the next 48 hours are to be crucial for each boat to hold her place in the ranking. The 7th boat in the leading pack is 66 miles away from the leader after 2000 miles of racing. Unexpectedly Sidaction which passed to the west of Madeira (with the wind supposed to be blocked by the islands) in the Class 40 made a nice 20 mile gain over Telecom Italia and was ranked 2nd.

Transat Jacques Vabre

Apart from the Class 40, the fleet in this Transat Jacques Vabre is benefiting from a north east flow (trade winds) of 15 to 20 knots. The Orma and Imoca are now reaching beautiful seas and all is well aboard the boats, even though the polls that fall every four hours on their screens are an occasion to scrutinize the positions of their opponents, what they do, where they are... Because even though they note that they are sailing their own race with the wind conditions they have locally, the skippers need to keep a close eye on who is on their heels. And they ought to keep as much distance as they can between their boat and the others, providing the conditions exist under which to do this.

33rd America's Cup

At a press conference in Barcelona today, AC Management (ACM), the event authority for the 33rd America's Cup, presented the new Competition Regulations, including the event format and schedule, and elaborated on the new AC90 class. Announcing the dates for the Trials and the America's Cup Match marks another step towards a 2009 event. Attending the presentation were Michel Hodara, CEO of ACM, Tom Schnackenberg, ACM class rule and competition regulations consultant, Rolf Vrolijk, Alinghi principal designer, Juan Kouyoumdjian, TeamOrigin principal designer, and Agustín Zulueta, Desafío Español general director. The AC90 yacht, in summary, will be 90ft overall (27.4m), 6.5m in draft whilst racing, retracting to 4.7m. The beam will be 5.3m, up from 3.5m for many of the ACC V5 boats. It will have a displacement of 23tons, a mast height of 37.9m above the deck, a maximum bowsprit distance of 15.5m from the mast and unlimited spinnaker area. With a crew limit of 20 people, this will be a very demanding and exciting boat to sail (there are three more crew than on a V5 boat and approx 50% more sail area!). In recognition of the demanding nature of the new yacht, the crew weight limit has been removed. This rule is a product of six weeks worth of exhaustive design consultation between the five entered Challengers and the Defender under the leadership of Tom Schnackenberg, ACM class rule consultant.

The objective is to create an even more spectacular sporting event for the 33rd America's Cup by introducing several new measures aside from the new AC90 yacht. ACM aims to limit costs for competitors through outlawing two-boat testing (the only permitted opportunity for one AC90 yacht to sail alongside another is when racing in ACM organised Practice Race or the Event), introducing "no-sail periods" and limiting the total number of sails produced. The 33rd edition will be divided into four phases: Acts, Trials, Challenger Selection Series and the America's Cup Match, with the Defender being able to compete in the Acts, the Trials and the Match, but not in the Challenger Selection Series. Practice Racing has been introduced as a replacement for two-boat testing. Any team can request a practice race and the regatta director will arrange an official practice series. This will be a carefully organised schedule publicised well in advance and providing equal opportunity for all Challengers who wish to participate. These are due to start as early as October 2008 and will continue up until April 2009. They will include a mixture of fleet and match racing round robins.

The 33rd America's Cup Match scheduled to start on July 18th 2009.

ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards

November is known as the time of the International Sailing Federation's (ISAF) Annual Conference and the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Awards.

The Awards are recognized as one of the highest honours a sailor can receive in recognition of his/her outstanding achievements and this year's official award ceremony took place last night, November 6th in Estoril, Portugal at the Penha Longa monastery. Out of all of this year's fantastic nominees only two could walk away with the ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year titles, and the exceptional winners for 2007 are Claire Leroy (FRA) and Ed Baird (USA), making this night a true tribute to match racing.

Claire Leroy has been the # 1 skipper on the ISAF Women's World Match Race Rankings since May 2005. Like many professionals, sailing has been a consistent part of Leroy's life since her childhood.

American Ed Baird took home the male 2007 ISAF Rolex World Sailor of the Year Award for his incredible achievements as helmsman aboard Alinghi, winner of the 32nd America's Cup.

Jacques Vabre

Artemis dismasted off Cape Finistere. Jonny & Graham are safe and sound. Most of the skippers have been desperately seeking the slightest puff of wind since the start. Starting yesterday, the weather conditions changed radically as they sailed down the Bay of Biscay. They had to deal with up to 25-30 knots in rough seas. If such weather conditions usually need to be handled with caution, it is even more true for the newer boats. Not only because of the possible material breakage, but also because the skippers need to haul the right sails to keep the boat manageable and competitive. It seems most of the crews found the right balance between pushing the boat and keeping her within her “safe limit” with a foot on the break. Artemis reduced the sails after two broaches and a massive wave laying the boat on her side. News of Her dismasting came in at 17:00 The wind is gradually filling up in the Bay of Biscay to push the rest of the fleet to Cape Finisterre where the conditions are rough. The Orma is now level with the Imoca, which set out one day earlier and should pass them overnight.

ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame

Last night (5 November) in Estoril, Portugal, the International Sailing Federation announced Paul Elvström, Sir Robin Knox-Johnson, Dame Ellen Macarthur, Olin Stephens, Barbara Kendall and Éric Tabarly as the first six inductees for the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame.

Many of sailing's star names together with members of royalty were in Estoril to celebrate the achievements of the six inductees at a gala Dinner and Presentation, one of the centrepiece occasions of ISAF's Centenary celebrations. Over the past 100 years, sailing has seen many heroes and legends, and the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame has been created to recognize the achievements of those who have made the sport what it is today.

His Majesty King Constantine, ISAF President of Honour and Honorary Chairman of the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame, said: "The six inductees are all legends of the sailing world and are heroes to thousands of sailors around the world. They represent the very highest level of achievement across various aspects of sailing.

"One hundred years of sailing has created many worthy sailors, but tonight we are here to recognise a few that have made sailing their life. Their achievement has contributed to enhancing, promoting and evolving the sport of sailing, but overall they have amazed, influenced and inspired both on and off the water."

The inductees were presented with the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame trophy, - designed by renowned Portuguese artist, Cristina Leiria - by His Majesty King Constantine and ISAF President Göran Petersson. One of the sailing world's best loved commentators, PJ Montgomery, presided over the Awards ceremony.

Paul Elvström, Robin Knox-Johnson, Ellen MacArthur and Olin Stephens were in Estoril to receive their awards, whilst Jacqueline Tabarly, widow of the late Éric Tabarly, accepted his award. Barbara Kendall accepted her award from PJ Montgomery on film.

ISAF President Göran Petersson paid tribute to the ISAF Centenary and to the array of stars, sailing celebrities and members of Royalty who had gathered for the launch on the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame. "I'd like to thank you for being here, and I'd like to extend this thanks to everyone - our friends and fellow sailors - tonight is a wonderful celebration to share with you all. 2007 has certainly been a year to remember," he said.

The Awards nights was held at the spectacular Estoril Casino and generously sponsored by Portugal Tourism, Estoril Tourism and Cascais Municipality.

The ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame has been launched in ISAF's Centenary year to celebrate sailing achievement, greatness and contribution to the sailing world.

Nominations for inductees were submitted by ISAF members, with the final decision confirmed by the ISAF Executive Committee. The Honorary Chairman for the ISAF Sailing Hall of Fame is His Majesty King Constantine, who is also an ISAF President of Honour.

Transat Jacques Vabre

Safran (Guillemot /Caudrelier) separated from the rest of the 60-footer fleet overnight after deciding to go through the Chenal du Four (closer to the shore) where he not only avoided contrary currents but also benefited from more wind (up to 17 knots, a bonus as it was not forecasted to be so strong. Ecover, Gitana Eighty, Foncia and Groupe Bel who were sailing along with him before the option, are now up to 20 miles further north. Those direct pursuers have pushed hard south and west during the day so as not to be glued in a transition zone of light winds before they can reach fresher wind. This situation will give Safran a nice advantage before she reaches the Canary Island (up to 4 days from now). Aviva and Roxy are maintaining their positions in the middle of the fleet. Artemis slipped down to 12th after having sailed with Foncia and Safran yesterday.

Transat Jacques Vabre

The rankings are changing quickly and should not be taken for granted over the next few days as tactics to cross the Channel focus on speed. Monohulls and multihulls currently are trying to find their way amid challenging weather conditions in the Channel. The crews have to deal cautiously with a high-pressure system in the Bay of Seine and beyond to avoid losing ground.The pinpoints on the map charting the race show that several options were taken overnight by the monohull skippers to get out of this trap: head northwards around the system, stay on a direct course through it, or head South in an effort to pass beneath it. There are only 10 miles between the first and last boats of the Imoca fleet. So far, boats of different generations are sailing together. Surprisingly, the fleet of 40-footers is on the heels of the Imoca 60, benefiting overnight of the turn of the tide with gusts of up to 16 knots, shifting from northeast-east. These boats are opting for a direct route and their ranking moved dramatically. The 47 monohulls are now level with the tip of Brittany.The fleet is choosing among the same options and is spread between France and England with Pindar 40 (Royle / Barrier) the closest to the English coast.

The starting gun fired at 1:02 p.m. sharp for the start of the multihulls race. With a northerly wind of 3 knots, Brossard (Y. Bourgnon / J. Vincent) and Crêpes Whaou ! (Escoffier / Fauconnier) crossed the line first in their respective categories. Contrary to the rough conditions typical for this time of year in the area, the wind has been playing a game of hide and seek. The high-pressure system hanging over Seine Bay provided light gusts that should benefit Groupama at the start. Later on the boats were showing nice average speeds of 7 to 10 knots, sailing in north-northeast wind of 10 to 12 knots. The first 8 Class 50 were only 100 miles away from Brossard with Crêpes Whaou ! leading, followed closely by Laiterie de St Malo.

Barcelona World Race

The entire Barcelona World Race fleet of nine IMOCA Open 60 class yachts is now dockside in the Port of Barcelona. With the arrival of Hugo Boss overnight Wednesday, the fleet is complete. And with Race Village officially opened by the Mayor of Barcelona on Thursday, the excitement on the Moll de la Fusta is growing daily.

The security and checks on the fleet are nearly complete, with only minor issues left to be resolved. The general consensus is that the nine boats here represent a very well prepared, high-standard fleet.!

AC90 Rule

Today AC Management, as scheduled, published the AC90 Rule marking an exciting milestone in the path to the 33rd America's Cup. This rule has been crafted over the past six weeks through a design consultation process with all entered challengers, the Defender, and headed by Tom Schnackenberg as the class rule and competition regulations consultant for ACM. Designers from all six entered teams have met regularly since the design process began on 15 September. The AC90 Rule, in brief, will be 90ft overall maximum length, 6.5m in draft whilst racing and will have a displacement of 23tons. This last parameter was defined by the challengers on their request. As far as the next steps towards the 33rd America's Cup are concerned, Tom Schnackenberg will continue the dialogue with the challengers and the Defender to finalise the Competition Regulations for a 2009 event.

MSR completes

By 7AM this morning five more yachts had crossed the finish line of the 28th Rolex Middle Sea Race. British yacht Nisida led the minor charge finishing just before midnight, whilst Martin Scicluna's Air Malta Falcon (MLT) completed the course just before seven. In between came the Swiss boat Tai Shan, Elusive Medbank and finally Guts 'n' Glory (GER), which sailed most of the race with only a trysail after their main gave out before she reached Stromboli. By 5PM two more - Obelix (ITA) and Slingshot (GBR) - were back on their berths, with Global Yacht Racing (GBR) hoping to arrive at some point this evening.

The yachts finishing now are in conditions that were all but unimaginable 48 -72 hours ago. The Royal Malta Yacht Club has been bathed in warm sunshine for much of the day, with members enjoying lunch outside on the terrace overlooking the finish and watching those boats coming home having to short tack up Marsamxett Harbour on the vaguest of zephyrs. A far cry from the extreme winds faced by the crews from Saturday night until Tuesday morning. The frontal system that put three-quarters of the fleet into harbour durign the first 36-hours is a distant memory. It is only the stories and faces of those who completed the course that give a true measure of the race.

Rambler Wins All, After All

George David's Rambler (USA) has been confirmed as the overall handicap winner of Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007.

George David's crew, led by Ken Read, has secured an historic treble - overall win, line honours and course record - achieved only once before in the 39 year history of the race, in 2000 - coincidentally by Bob McNeill's Zephyrus IV whose Course Record Rambler smashed yesterday.

George David will be awarded the Rolex Middle Sea Race Trophy at the race prize-giving to be held on Saturday 27th October 2007.

Records and Rescues

Two stories of dramatically contrasting fortune have unfolded over the past 24-hours of the 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race. Both stories ended happily. Both could have ended quite differently. In one, an American crew defied the elements to destroy a seven-year old course record. In the second, an Australian crew were rescued from their yacht as she threatened to founder on the wind-lashed northern coast of Sicily. The crews of Rambler and Loki will remember this race for years to come.

For George David and the crew of the 90-foot Rambler (USA) it was a dream come true. Hardly in their wildest dreams could they have believed they would eclipse so comprehensively the Rolex Middle Sea Race course record at their first attempt. Remember Neville Crichton had two goes in the exact same boat and did not come close; such was the cruel nature of the conditions during his assaults.

For Loki the drama was truly life threatening. Sailing along in 35-knots at 15/16 knots of boatspeed there was a sudden bang and the crew saw the rudder floating away behind the boat. Owner Stephen Ainsworth explained how they brought the boat under some semblance of control and made contact with Race Control to report their circumstances at 1730 on Saturday evening. Tomasso Chieffi, a last minute addition to the crew of Atalanta II, the Italian mini-maxi of Carlo Puri Negri, made the seriousness of the situation absolutely vivid. On hearing of Loki's distress, Atalanta diverted back to see what assistance she could offer, as Chieffi explained, "sailing along side with Loki, Lucas Brown finally was able to get in contact with them over the phone. We heard that the rudder blade was broken. The first idea was to tow them but we did not have a rope that was strong enough to do so. Furthermore, the sea was so high that sometimes the waves were breaking over the mast. It was very difficult to go too near to Loki, the rolling motion was so huge that it was absolutely too dangerous."

MSR Line Honours

George David's 90-foot super-maxi Rambler (USA) took line honours in the 28th Rolex Middle Sea Race at 11.45.03 this morning.

In doing so, Rambler, skippered by Ken Read has taken over16 hours off the previous course record set by Zephyrus IV in 2000.

Middle Sea Race Retirements

Retirement after retirement is phoned into the Royal Malta Yacht Club Race Control, whilst the front-runner makes record-breaking progress towards the finish. After a relatively benign start on Saturday, the trouble began as yachts began to reach to the Sicilian coast. On Sunday afternoon some twenty-two yachts had retired including four of the big ones - Titan 12 (USA), Valkyrie (CAN), Whisper (IRL) and Ourdream (GBR) - leaving thirty-five still racing.

Race leader Rambler (USA) has been eating up the miles over the 24-hours since reaching Capo Passero shortly after 1700 on Saturday evening. George David's 90-foot supermaxi with Ken Read as skipper belied her name and strode up the eastern seaboard of Sicily, springing out of the Strait of Messina at 0100 on Sunday morning. Rounding Stromboli at 0435, she has made reasonable progress across the top of Sicily and was just north of Favignana at 1600, making 19-knots. The forecast frontal system looks set to blow the big white supermaxi home at speed with winds from the northwest topping out at 40-45-knots. There is the probability of a confused sea state that may slow her up a little, but short of gear failure or breakage she could reach the finish at around 0900 on Monday. If so she would have smashed the existing course record. But she needs to finish before such predictions become meaningful.

Behind Rambler lie Atalanta II (ITA) and Loki (AUS). This rosy picture of last night's proceedings was not echoed further back in the fleet where the retirements started coming in thick and fast at about 1800 on Saturday night. The smaller, slower yachts encountered very difficult conditions as they made their way up Sicily towards the Strait of Messina.

Middle Sea Race started

The 2007 Rolex Middle Sea Race set off today from Marsamxett Harbour with the crews apprehensive about what may lie ahead but displaying a quiet confidence that they are prepared for tough race and some tough decisions. Last night, 60 yachts were registered to take part. Following a pretty sobering weather briefing, three yachts chose not to start this morning. Since the start four yachts have retired, leaving 53 yachts on the course. In the absence of a record fleet, the event may still make history. This morning's routings for the two fastest monohulls - George David's 90-foot Rambler (USA) and Tom Hill's 76-foot Titan 12 (USA) - suggested a finish time of between 7 and 8AM on Monday morning! The fleet was divided into five starts, the first group of the smallest yachts setting off at 1100 to the thunderous echo of the field gun. The doublehanded British yacht Slingshot of Shaun Murphy and Roger Barber repeated its excellent start of last year and led the fleet off the line. It was the Maltese old-stager Arthur Podesta and Elusive Medbank that claimed the glory of first boat out of the harbour and round the turning mark off Tigne Point. Podesta was closely followed by Georges Bonello DuPuis' Primadonna (MLT) and the Ripard/Calascione family on Jammin (MLT). A short break in proceedings allowed the crowds to catch their breath and the bigger yachts time to enter the harbour before the final group of three starts. The Greek yacht Superfast Racing, a former winner of the race (as Optimum 3), led the third start away whilst Cippa Lippa (ITA) found herself red-faced and over early. Not a crucial error in 607 mile race, but not good in front of so many onlookers. Start four saw the big boys come to line. Taking full use of the ten minutes between the preparatory signal and the start gun, these behemoths appeared to sniff the air at the line one or two times before returning into the depths of the harbour. Stephen Ainsworth's Loki from Australia seemed to get the best of it closely followed by Titan XII nearest to the Royal Malta Yacht Club. Rambler with Jerry Kirby on the bow and Ken Read on the helm had a decidedly second row start but soon carved her way to the front. At 4.45pm this afternoon Rambler was abreast of Sicily making 12 knots, with Titan 12 behind and then a chasing pack comprising Superfast, Ourdream Damiani (ITA), Whisper (IRE), Atalanta II (ITA), Valkyrie (CAN) and Loki about three miles further back. Talking to the skippers and navigators this morning, they were all keenly aware of the weather approaching the racecourse. Nick Lykiardopulo (owner of Aera that won overall the storm ridden Rolex Sydney Hobart in 2004 and who participated in the infamous '98 race aswell) is racing as Navigator on Nikos Lazos and Pericles Livas' Superfast Racing. Lykiardopulo felt the 52-foot Greek yacht could be well-postioned for the system despite its strength, "I think we'll see 55 knots tops, which is probably more than we saw in 04, but quite a bit less than in '98. But we'll be fine. She is a strong boat, we'll have to spend a bit more time on the wind than the maxis but we should be most of the way across the north of Sicily before the wind hits. It might get a bit bumpy on the western corner." He even found time to laugh that, "the good thing about being navigator when it pours with rain is that you get to sit down below and check the equipment."

Ericsson Apoint Grael

Ericsson have turned to the mercurial talents of Torben Grael to skipper their ‘international’ crew in the 2008-09 race.

The 47-year-old Brazilian, who led Brasil 1 to third place overall in an eventful 2005-06 campaign, replaces John Kostecki who left the Ericsson two-boat project in August.

Grael’s achievements make impressive reading. Gold medals in the Star class at the Olympic Games in Atlanta (1996) and Athens (2004), silver in the Soling in Los Angeles (1984) and Star bronze in Seoul (1988) and Sydney (2000). He also boasts a string of world and international titles.

He has been involved in three America’s Cups campaigns including the role of tactician for Luna Rossa Challenge in Valencia at this year’s event. Prior to the 2005-06 Volvo, Grael was a member of the Innovation Kvaerner crew in the 1997-98 Whitbread.

This time he is back to lead a stellar line-up assembled for Ericsson’s international boat with his sights fixed on overall honours. “Sailing around the world is one of the most difficult things you can do in the sport,” he said. “Having done the Volvo Ocean Race last time and getting a good result, and having a good possibility of doing even better this time is what drove me to do the race again.

“The Ericsson team has a lot of structure, everything is in place. They have the time to do things the way they should be done and that’s the main reason that I decided to join them.”

Rolex MS Race

This time last night only 41 of the 70 yachts on the entry-list for the Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 had completed their formalities. At 4.00pm today that number stood at 55 with more expected, a whole host of yachts arriving during Thursday making the most of the improved conditions. In place of the cold northeasterly that prevailed last evening with driving rain, the crews have enjoyed a warmer day in which to prepare themselves and their boats.

The yachts and crews have been arriving steadily throughout the day and the level of activity at the Royal Malta Yacht Club and Grand Harbour Marina has stepped up considerably. Scrutineering by the race officials continues, as provisions and equipment are being loaded onto the yachts and cruising paraphernalia is removed. Boats that were on the hard and could not be launched in the face of the huge swell that has battered the northern shoreline for the last four days are now going in. And, boats stuck in the water needing to be lifted are finally coming out for last-minute attention to the hull.

MSR07

With a Force 6-7 Gregale (described as ‘moderate winds' on the local weather websites) blowing through the islands overnight and showing no signs of abating during the day, the Royal Malta Yacht Club was forced to cancel the first of two coastal races scheduled as warm ups for the main event - the Rolex Middle Sea Race that starts this Saturday at 1100. The strong Easterly wind being generated is forecast to continue until tomorrow raising the possibility that the second coastal race could also be cancelled. Better news is that on Wednesday evening the wind should start to decrease, at least to a Force 5 or 6, and back to a more northeasterly airflow. If the decrease continues, it may allow some of the twenty or so yachts currently stuck in and around Sicily to make the passage to down to Malta in time for the start.

Greece in Middle Sea Race

At close of entries, the 28th edition of the Rolex Middle Sea Race has attracted sixty-nine yachts, one more than started in 2006 and, if they all hit the start line this coming Saturday, the race will have set a new record entry level albeit only just. Perhaps most worrying for the organisers, the Royal Malta Yacht Club, not all the yachts are yet in Malta, which is currently being battered by 30 miles an hour winds. These winds are expected to steadily subside over the coming few days, hopefully sufficiently to enable all foreign competitors to arrive.

Many yachts and crews from abroad have chosen to come back and do the race again. One such case is Sean Murphy who is tackling the race double-handed for the second time on his J-105 Slingshot. He had originally planned to race with Bonello DuPuis, but a turn of fate left Slingshot sitting in Malta. "

The Greek Farr 52, Superfast Racing (Optimum 3), is also back again and in their case for the fourth time. Having won the race in 2004, owners Pericles Livas and Nikos Lazos are keen to repeat their victorious odyssey, as Livas describes, "we first competed in the 2003 Rolex Middle Sea Race finishing 12th. It was the first time the team raced continuously for 5 days. Every member got excited and in the stormy 2004 edition the team returned combat-ready and won first place overall. We could not defend our title in 2005 and then 2006 was a very light winds for us. So this year we are back again and very hungry. We are 15 Greek amateur sailing enthusiasts looking forward to create another great set of memories."

Recalling 2004, Livas tells how the year was an amazing one for the crew, "Greece won the European Championships in soccer out of nowhere and then hosted the Olympic Games in Athens with unbelievable success. As a Greek athletic team we showed up for the 25th anniversary of this race in very high spirits. We raced very well from the start and were among the top 3 in all turning points. That win was major for the team and Greece and we were very proud!"

"The Greek Sailing Federation praised the team, which was very rewarding. But even more rewarding was surfing at 30+ knots of speed on the fourth night out at sea between Pantelleria and Lampedusa on mountainous waves and winds up to 56 knots in a pitch black night heavily loaded with thunder and amazing lightning! We later called it "Hollywood Night" and remains until today the team's favourite experience! And, that is what drives us back."

The Rolex Middle Sea Race takes the fleet on a 606 nautical-mile adventure that starts and finishes in Malta. The start line is unique, lying as it does between the 18th century Fort Manoel and the 16th century bastions of Valetta. The route takes yachts up the eastern seaboard of Sicily to the Strait of Messina, passing the active volcano of Etna. At the second active volcano - the island of Stromboli - the fleet turns west to the Egadi Islands and the northwest corner of Sicily. Here the fleet heads south passing the island of Pantelleria before turning back towards Malta at the island of Lampedusa.

The Rolex Middle Sea Race 2007 starts from Marsamxett Harbour, Malta, on Saturday 20th October 2007. The Malta Rolex Cup, a two-race inshore series on the 16th and 17th October, will precede the main race.

Clipper Round the World Race

Following a tactical decision to move away from the Brazilian coast Nova Scotia has given away second place to Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper. There a chance the Scottish team will also have to tack away from the coast later today but it is possible that Nova Scotia has moved too far from the coast for the boat to regain second place.

Durban 2010 and Beyond has finally cleared the difficult stretch of the Brazilian coast that has been worrying skipper Ricky Chalmers for the last few days. The South Africans have now managed to take advantage of Nova Scotia's tack away from the coast and extend their lead to 63 nautical miles.

Joff Bailey, Race Director, comments, "It would appear as though Durban 2010 and Beyond has a clear run home to the finish in Salvador but the winds can be fickle and unpredictable when sailing close to the shore especially at night time and with more than 200 nautical miles still to cover the positions could change again."

Liverpool 08's tactics of staying further east have finally paid off as they moved ahead of Hull & Humber into fourth place. This lead should be consolidated over the next 24 hours as Liverpool 08 has a more favourable angle on the wind than Hull & Humber. The entire fleet is now in the Southern Hemisphere.

Barcolana

Thursday morning the first RC44 Cup fleet race will start. Today the crews tested their boats in the Gulf of Trieste with over 20 knots of Bora wind, the best performances came from Team Omega steered by Russell Coutts and Team Aqua with Chris Bake at the helm. 10 teams will be racing, so the rankings could change since there are many participants and highly professional teams. Russell Cutts likes Bora wind, he knows he’ll have some advantage with strong wind.

There are 775 entrants in Barcolana 39 so far, among which the Farr80 Banca Generali, with Pelaschier at the helm, who will challenge Cino Ricci, recruited for the race by the Army. The three strongest helmsmen in the world, Russell Coutts, Dean Barker and James Spithill, presented today Trieste RC44 Cup to the press.

Velux 0 Oceans

Only weeks after announcing that Velux is going ahead with its sponsorship of a second 5 Oceans solo round the world race, organisers Clipper Ventures have hit a major snag: the race has been categorically rejected by the Open 60 class in favour of the rival Barcelona World Race, run by Ellen MacArthur's and Mark Turner's OC Group.

IMOCA, the Open 60 skippers' association, has highlighted what it calls 'previous problemswith the last two editions of the Velux 5 Oceans' and says 'an internal survey showed the race was mostly not part of the skippers' priorities'.

Instead, the class is putting its full weight behind the fourly-yearly Route du Rhum race in 2010 and a second edition of the two-handed Barcelona World Race later the same year.

This leaves Clipper Ventures with a big problem: it will be extremely difficult to attract top sponsors and skippers to the Velux 5 Oceans.

Osprey Cup

Later this month, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club (St. Petersburg, Fla.) will host some of the world's most accomplished sailors during the Rolex Osprey Cup, an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) Grade 1 women's match racing regatta. Scheduled for October 18-21, the regatta will feature 10 international teams, including the world's #3 ranked Team Acuity, skippered by Katie Spithill (Pittwater, Australia). Spithill, the runner-up at the 2007 ISAF Women's Match Racing World Championship, will compete against nine other top skippers including #4 ranked Sally Barkow (Nashotah, Wis.), a two-time world champion and Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year, and Liz Baylis (San Rafael, Calif.), also a past Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year and the current U.S. Women's Match Racing champion. Racing takes place daily on Tampa Bay in Sonar class keelboats, within viewing range of the St. Petersburg Municipal Pier.

Transat Jacques Vabre

With 60 boats registered, the eighth edition of the Transat Jacques Vabre confirms the success of this race and its establishment as a major classic. Created back in 1993, and indeed ever since, this race, which follows the historic route of the coffee trade, has grown continually both in terms of its fame and sporting interest. For each new edition, the greatest yachtsmen turn up to compete in the Transat Jacques Vabre.

60 boats at the start, while there were 38 two years ago and 13 for the first edition back in 1993. 120 of the top ocean racing skippers will be present in Le Havre, thus confirming the popularity of the ocean race and showing that all of the skippers still have that desire to take part.

Since 1995, the teams in Le Havre have managed to create some exceptional conditions for the hosting of the race, and steadily improved on them with each new edition. Today, Le Havre is one of the top homeports for ocean races. For this eighth Transat Jacques Vabre, a marina is going to be created at the back of the Paul Vatine Basin for the thirty Class 40 boats, with the multihulls and the monohulls spread over the two sides of the basin.

A wide-ranging permanent programme of events is planned for the 7000 m2 village, which will be open throughout the week. It will be open each day from Friday 26th October to Sunday 4th November from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. with three late night openings.

The boats must be in harbour in Le Havre by noon on Friday 26th October.

The prize-giving ceremony will take place in Salvador in two stages. The first evening on Tuesday 20th November will concern the first boats to finish, while a second evening will reward the Class 40 boats on Tuesday 27th November.

Transat Jacques Vabre

Leading British print and electronic media company Pindar, prolific supporters of British sailing, announced that Jo Royle and Alexia Barrier will skipper Class 40 yacht Pindar 40 in this year’s Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV) transatlantic race. Over 40 boats have been entered in the Class 40 fleet which will race from France to Brazil starting on the 3rd November, Jo and Alexia being the sole female duo.

33rd AC in Valencia?

As a consequence of the uncertainty and the delays arising from the Golden Gate Yacht Club Law suit in New York, AC Management (ACM) is concerned that the feasibility of organising the next America's Cup in Valencia in 2009 has been effectively compromised. ACM will in the coming days engage in consultations with the Defender, the Challenger of Record, the Competitors and the Spanish Authorities on this specific matter. ACM is considering all options, including the possibility of postponing the event to a later date. In the meantime, ACM understands that SNG continues to try to find a resolution of the dispute pending with Golden Gate Yacht Club in New York.

Suzuki Signs 3 Year Sponsorship

Suzuki signs up to be main sponsor of La Solitaire for the next 3 years, an event they have supported since 2006. Suzuki France and Groupe Le Figaro have signed a partnership deal for 2008, 2009 and 2010. The race therefore calls itself once again “La Solitaire du Figaro” and introduces a new event logo with the main sponsor, Suzuki. Mr Yukata Higashikubo, President of Suzuki France and Mr Francis Morel, the General Manager for the Groupe Le Figaro, are pleased to announce this partnership that will come into play for the 39th edition of La Solitaire du Figaro in 2008.

Artemis Wins TP52

In the end they made it look easy. With only a single score outside the top five all week - a six in the first race - Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis (SWE), with Russell Coutts in the role of tactician (and at times magician) swept to a comprehensive victory at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship 2007. The winning margin was 26.75 points ahead of 2006 Champion, Eamon Conneely's Patches (IRL). The enormity of the win is emphasized by only 6 points separating the next four boats.

Rolex TP52 Global Championship

Only one race on Friday at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship. But what a race. No huge change in the leaderboard, but when you get to see TP52s screaming downwind in 20+ knots, that seems a minor detail. Peter de Ridder's Mean Machine (MON) gave a heavy-air sailing demonstration to lead the fleet around the course and finish some way ahead of Stay Calm (GBR). Artemis (SWE) kept her championship aspirations on target with a fourth, whilst Windquest (USA) might be forgiven for keeping their heads down after an unfortunate incident with HRH Harald of Norway's Fram XVI (NOR) at the second windward mark. Going into the final day Artemis has a fifteen-point lead.

Global Championship TP52

The Rolex TP52 Global Championship 2007 served up another day of intriguing competition on the water, just as the Costa Smeralda served up one of the worst days of weather in recent memory of those that regularly compete in this sailing mecca. A window of opportunity in the prevailing strong winds enabled the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda race officials, led by Peter Craig, to run one of the two coastal courses included in the programme. At the end of a winter like day, the Swedish boat Artemis popped out in front to secure another priceless victory in a race that turned into a lottery at the mid-point. Artemis was followed home by Windquest (USA), Doug DeVos' s boat having set the pace for much of the race. Mutua Madrilena (CHI) did a back to front recovery and took third, just ahead of Glory (USA). Patches (IRE) had a day to forget; full of snakes and ladders, and with her last roll of the dice landing her firmly on a snake to finish in twelfth. Going into the last two days, five boats are separated by 6-points, but ominously for the fleet one boat lies 17 points clear ahead of them all - Artemis.

Rolex TP52 Global Championship

With the dogs well and truly blown off the chains, racing at the Rolex TP52 Global Championship was very sensibly cancelled for the day. The sense of relief amongst the experienced crews was palpable; with gusts in the Straits of Bonifacio clocking 50 knots and winds gusting more than 30 forecast to extend over the entire available race area by this afternoon, these are boat and crew breaking conditions.

Rolex TP52 Global Championship

The three races of the day were held in a fresh northwesterly. The promised rotation from the northeast arrived early and the race committee got off the daily maximum number of windward/leewards in short order. The steadiness of the breeze reflected in a lack of any course changes. The first race involved a 2 nautical mile leg in 12 - 15 knots, whilst the second and third saw a 2.4 nm leg and the wind topping out at around 20 knots on the final run home. Normal Porto Cervo service well and truly resumed, with a bright clear sky and plenty of sunshine. At the end of Day Two and Race Five of the Rolex TP52 Global Championship 2007 Artemis (SWE) sits on top of the heap with a healthy ten-point margin over second placed Patches (IRE). It could have been worse or better for both. Patches caught over the start line in the first two races of the day and Artemis over early in the third. Both completed recoveries that in the case of Artemis suggested true genius at the core - the genius of Russell Coutts - along with a measure of good boat speed and probably some luck. Artemis was comprehensively boat of the day posting a 1, 2, 4. Not far behind in that category was Stuart Robinson's Stay Calm (GBR), which managed to avoid any issues with the line, and scored 2, 4, 3 to move into fourth overall. The two other race winners were Doug DeVos' Windquest (USA)with Terry Hutchinson calling the shots and, of course, Eamon Conneely's Patches which, after her problems with the first two starts of the day, stormed around the final course like a scalded cat to finish someway in front of Alberto Roemmers' Siemens.

Rolex TP52 Global Championship

Dawn broke with a windless, overcast sky, and a Low Pressure system positioned to the south of Sardinia bringing with it a day of, frankly, horrible weather. The competing crews were kept ashore until 1230 by Peter Craig and his team of race officials to allow some wind to fill in. It eventually did from the northwest, and at 1415 the first of two windward leeward races got underway in about 7 knots. Both courses today were two-lap courses, the first with a 1.5 nautical mile leg and the second race with a 2.2 nm leg. Race winners were Patches who, after a moderate start position, found themselves on the correct side of a right-hand swing in the wind that saw boats on the left side of the course of the first beat under-laying the mark by some distance, and, in the second race - a much tighter affair - Artemis, who had been in second for much of the race before slipping past Mutua Madrilena (CHI) on the final run home.

Ericsson VOR Racing

Finnish sailor Thomas Johanson, has signed with Ericsson Racing Team as crew member in the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. The 49er Olympic gold medallist from Sydney 2000 will be sailing with Ericsson's Swedish skipper Anders Lewander on the Nordic crew. At the age of 38 Thomas Johanson is now writing a new chapter in his sailing career. After many years of inshore fleet racing and as skipper onboard a 60 foot multihull, Thomas is ready to take on his first round the world race. Thomas is not worried about climbing down a rung or two. In his dinghy days and as skipper on the 60 foot trimaran, he was of course making all the decisions himself. Now he suddenly has to follow orders. With three Olympic campaigns and extensive experience in big boat racing Thomas is a valuable addition to the crew. As a helmsman he has proved that he can make boats go fast and he is a team player with a winning attitude. Skipper Anders Lewander has, just like Thomas, a strong background in dinghies sailing, having been a member of the Swedish National Sailing Team. Amongst different and very varied sailing experiences - ranging from 49ers to Archipelago Raid - Anders has also sailed around the world on board Cheyenne/Playstation in the Oryx Cup 2005. He has been working for North Sails Sweden since 1994, and is a very experienced sail maker.

Ericsson Racing Team will participate with two boats in the next Volvo Ocean Race. One will have an international crew and the other will be all Nordic. The two crews will be part of one same team and the two boats will compete on an equal basis. Both of them will be built by Killian Bushe next to Ericsson's headquarters in Kista, Stockholm. Having two competitive crews in the next race will allow Ericsson Racing Team to train efficiently before the start of the race in Alicante Spain in October 2008.

Ireland in VOR 2008-09

Ireland will be the seventh entry into the 2008/9 Volvo Ocean race when it's Green Team officially declares a new Reichel Pugh-design for the 39,000-mile race from Alicante in little over a year. Within 13 months of the start of the race, a trio of Galway businessmen - aka the Green Team: Enda O'Coineen, John Killeen and Eamon Conneelly - have advanced plans for a campaign aimed not only at bringing the Volvo fleet to these shores but the overall trophy home as well. The revelation that a 5 million Euro Irish "Volvo 70" yacht is on the drawing board of Californian designers Reichel Pugh is a prelude to the Green Team's entry to the world's toughest offshore challenge. It is also a further endorsement - if it were needed - that the team means business. In spite of all this activity, Green Team CEO Jamie Boag remains tight-lipped on plans, except to say that until funding is in place to compete in the race, there will be no entry. So far this process is "advanced, but still ongoing". Behind the scenes, however, he has put together the necessary hardware for an Irish entry, he maintains, that will be "truly competitive". Insiders say construction of the 70-footer will need to be a priority project in order to be ready in time. A boatyard is on stand-by in Sydney.

America's Cup

With the United Internet AG continuing its commitment in sport sponsoring and the gain of new partners like Audi AG and Porsche Consulting, the whole concept of the campaign is now resting on many pillars. AUDI AG is supporting the rearranged United Internet Team Germany campaign and is therefore enlarging its sportive engagement in the sailing sport. The participation of the premium manufacturer can be noticed at first sight because of the four rings, which will be exclusively printed on the spinnaker and, together with the brand name 1&1, on the main sail. Porsche Consulting takes over the yacht construction and provides coordinator of Technique The Porsche Consulting GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Porsche AG, will be responsible for the concentration of all technological competence. Porsche Consulting is now handed over all responsibilities for the developing process of the boat and the coordination of all involved companies - ranging from designers over contractors to boat builders. The German team was able to purchase 'SUI 91', one of the most recent yachts of Cup winner Alinghi. In the next weeks SUI 91 will change sites from the Swiss to the German base in Valencia. The German team is one of the first challengers to start training for the 33rd America's Cup.

Volvo Ocean Race

The historic Russian port city of St Petersburg has been officially announced as the race finish for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09.

This will be the first time in the race’s 34-year history that the fleet will visit a Russian port and follows the confirmation in late May that Russia will have its own entry in the race backed by St Petersburg businessman Oleg Zherebtsov.

Volvo Ocean Race CEO Glenn Bourke, who was in St Petersburg for a press conference announcing the agreement with City Governor Valentina Matvienko, said it had long been a goal to take the race finish to Russia’s second largest city.

“To finish this event in a city so full of culture, heritage and historical intrigue will make a spectacular finale,” he said.

“Together with the Russian entry in the race, we are delighted to be taking the world’s premier ocean race to the people of St Petersburg. I am confident they will provide a thrilling climax to the 2008-09 event.”

The selection of St Petersburg marks another milestone in the 2008-09 iteration of the race after the decision to take the event through the Middle East, Southeast Asia, India and China.

The race route is nearing completion with the offshore start set for Alicante, Spain, on 11 October, 2008 following an in-port racing series a week earlier. The race is currently scheduled to last nearly 10 months, covering more than 37,000 nautical miles and visiting up to 12 ports.

The fleet winds up its Asian section in Qingdao, China, home to next year’s Olympic sailing regatta, before heading off to South America on its longest and toughest leg, a voyage of more than 12,000 nautical miles. The fleet then heads up the U.S. East Coast to Boston and then across the North Atlantic to Galway before visiting Sweden en route to St Petersburg in late June 2009.

“Russia has made tremendous steps in the last few years in its capacity to host major sporting events and recently won the right to host the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi,” Bourke added.

Zherebtsov believes the race finish in St Petersburg will have a "huge impact" on sailing in Russia.

"The Volvo Ocean Race is one of the truly great sporting events," he said.

"We are looking at the new age of sailing in this country and it is fitting that the finish is in St Petersburg because the founder of the city Peter The Great was also the founder of the first Naval Academy here way back in the early 1700s."

Zherebtsov, who will also be a member of the crew of the Russian boat in the race, said he was relishing the prospect. "This really is the biggest adventure in the world. It's awesome to be involved in it and to have the chance to sail round the world on a Volvo Open 70. We are definitley in it to win."

St Petersburg also recently announced that it would bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics after losing out to Athens as the venue for the 2004 Games.

Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race

The Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race starts in Liverpool (UK) today the 16 September 2007. The sixth edition of the race will visit La Rochelle, Salvador, Durban, Fremantle, Singapore, Qingdao, Hawaii, the west coast of the USA, the Caribbean, New York and a final European stopover before returning to Liverpool in July 2008. At 35,000 miles, Clipper 07-08 will test ten teams of non-professional sailors to the limit as they race around the globe. Each of the ten Clipper yachts is backed by a different international city and the line-up in Clipper 07-08 includes Glasgow, Singapore, Durban, Liverpool, New York, Hull & Humber, Qingdao and Western Australia.

Ecover

HRH The Princess Royal is shown around his new Open 60 Yacht, Ecover by skipper Mike Golding. She today named Ecover at the Southampton Boat Show, as Mike prepares to take on the world's best solo sailors in his bid to win the Vendee Globe in 2008. The Southampton Boat Show in association with ITV Meridian is back between 14-23 September 2007 for its exciting 39th year. Discover exciting new features, Explore the hundreds of boats on display and Enjoy everything about boating in one giant Show! The event will see 130,000 people enjoying sailing, boating and watersports activities and is simply the place to be to check out all the latest boating gear or to discover a new hobby. Attractions and events at this year's Show include: SBS celebrates Beijing 2008 with its Chinese Quarter, HMS Bounty, Hydropool Marina, HydraZorbing with the Goodyear, the Show's Official Safety and Innovation Partner,

Have-a-go: Try-a-Boat, Try-Sailing, Try-a-Dive, TEAMORIGIN, Mike Golding's ECOVER, Alex Bennett's FUJIFILM, Gipsy Moth IV, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston's yacht sponsored by Lombard, Join the Adventure with the Scouts, Low Carbon Living, MCA & RNLI Search & Rescue Demos, ITV Junior Newsreader Challenge, Miss Southampton Boat Show, Concept Boat, Careers, Educations and Skills Day.

iShares Cup

The iShares Cup final in Amsterdam has culminated in a fantastic demonstration of what Extreme 40 racing is all about - 40ft catamarans racing within inches of the spectators, who cheered and whooped as the crews raced past; pure on water drama - near capsizes, collisions, triumphs and disasters.

Robert Greenhalgh and Team Basilica swept the board winning the overall 2007 iShares Cup and taking the Amsterdam event as well holding off the challenge of the Dutch 'home team' Holmatro who were leading the event until race 16 out of 18 when Basillica wrenched back control.

Hyeres Completed

It was neither particularly pretty nor was it winning ugly, but Russell Coutts, skippering the crew of owner-helm Torbjorn Tornqvist’s Artemis, finally lifted the Breitling MedCup trophy on the final day of his third season competing on the world’s leading fleet racing circuit. A nervous tenth followed by a solid fifth was enough for Coutts and the hand- picked team on Artemis to clinch the 2007 Breitling MedCup Circuit. In a light easterly breeze with a 17 points cushion to protect Artemis made a shaky start to the first of two final windward leeward races. Forced to the wrong side of the left favoured track Coutts, Tornqvist and team rounded the first windward mark 13th, with only one boat behind them. They recovered two places on the second beat, and one on the final run. The second race start went marginally better, but with four boats recalled for jumping the start gun at the pin end of the line, Artemis effectively had the title secured by the first windward mark. With Swedish businessman Tornqvist driving the 2007 Judel Vrolijk design, and at least six present or past America’s Cup winners among the afterguard and crew, Artemis won the 2007 title by just eight points after 32 windward leeward races and six coastal races over the five series regattas this season. Winning the Hyères Trophy, Artemis became the fifth different boat to win a regatta overall this season after Bribon in Alicante, CxG Caixa Galicia in at Breitling Regatta, Siemens Matador in Copa del Rey, Palma and the outgoing 2006 champions Valle Romano Mean Machine in Portimao, Poretugal.

MedCup Circuit

Victory in both stages of today's 23 mile coastal race around the Port Cros island off Hyères leaves Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis on the verge of winning the overall 2007 Breitling MedCup Trophy. With a lead of 17 points in the 15 boat fleet and up to two windward leeward races scheduled for tomorrow (Saturday) Artemis need only a day of modest performances to secure the title for the Artemis crew and for skipper Russell Coutts in his third year on the circuit. Artemis lead their nearest rivals Caixa Galicia around the windward mark after the 2.5 mile opening beat. In five knots of easterly breeze with Juan Vila as navigator and Coutts calling the shots, Artemis came in on a perfect lay-line to the first turn, while Caixa Galicia had to tack to lay and to stay ahead of Patches and Stay Calm. From there the two leaders remained unchallenged on a long and, at times, slow parade around the beautiful Porquerolle island. After a procession under Code sails and Gennakers up the outside of the island Artemis lead Caixa Galicia through the scoring gate at the west tip of the island, off Point Saint Anne. In the quest for third overall on the circuit, consistency was key for Ian Walker and the crew of Patches and a fourth followed by a painful and hard earned fifth – emerging from a final park up having lost only Anonimo and Patches.

Breitling MedCup

A day of consistency, consolidation and concentration was enough for Russell Coutts and the crew of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis to increase their grip on the overall Breitling MedCup Circuit title in brisk easterly winds on the Bay of Hyères. Although the Swedish flagged Judel-Vrolijk design has not won a regatta yet this season, their main focus was on building their margin over Caixa Galicia, their nearest rivals for the overall 2007 title. Once again there was little that Roberto Bermudez de Castro and his team aboard the black hulled Botin & Carkeek design Caixa Galicia could do to puncture the supremacy of Artemis in the 15-21 knot, onshore breeze which kicks up a nasty choppy swell over the shallow waters of the bay, the day belonged to the English and the Irish. Stuart Robinson's British boat Stay Calm was the top scorer for the day with a second and first, to Eamon Conneely's Patches which won the first race and then took fourth in the second windward-leeward.

Rolex Veteran Boat Rally

Philosophy is one of the many underlying themes at the 12 Metre Series during this year's Rolex Veteran Boat Rally. Not Descartes or Sartre - though a few of their concepts and principles may well have been discussed on Challenge 12 and Ikra by their French crews between racing today off Porto Cervo. Where, the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Race Committee made up for yesterday's cancelled racing by firing off three 8.4 nautical mile windward/leeward races in short succession, into an easterly wind of 11-15 knots producing Kookaburra II, Freedom & Ikra as overnight leaders in class.