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.

Transat Jacques Vabre

Two British sailors, Dee Caffari and her co-skipper Nigel King, finished their qualifying sail for the 2007 Transat Jacques Vabre (TJV) race onboard the Open 60 racing yacht Aviva. Caffari has recruited King for the two-handed transatlantic race based on his extensive offshore racing experience. This is the first race in the Aviva Ocean Racing campaign that will be sailed in open seas without the restrictions of busy shipping lanes and coastal waters. King's experience will be invaluable in developing Caffari's decision-making and race tactics. The pair first sailed together competitively in this year's Calais Round Britain Race as part of a five-man crew. King has since competed in La Solitaire Afflelou Le Figaro but was disappointed to have to retire after technical difficulties with the boat's electronics. Following today's successful qualification Caffari and King will now train together in the build up to the start of the Transat Jacques Vabre. The 4,340-mile race signifies the next step of Caffari's rapid development into competitive Open 60 racing as she prepares to compete in the Vendee Globe 2008/09 and become the first woman to sail solo around the world in both directions. The Transat Jacques Vabre sets sail from Le Havre, France on 3 November 2007 and finishes in Salvador de Bahia, Brazil.

MedCup Hyeres

In what promises to be an engaging duel for the overall 2007 Breitling MedCup title it was Russell Coutts and the crew of Torbjorn Tornqvist's Artemis which seized the upper hand after the first two races of the Hyères Trophy. Tied with Vicente Tirado's Caixa Galicia going into this regatta Coutts and his crew eased four points clear thanks to their first and second places from today's two races on the Bay of Hyères. A long wait for the breeze to fill in and settle was finally rewarded with 7-10 knots of SE'ly wind which saw the first race start at just after 1600hrs and the second windward-leeward contest at 1735hrs.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007 ended in triumph for some and disappointment for others as the final day played out and racing came to a conclusion. As is so often the way on the final day, the individual race winners today were overshadowed by the overall regatta winners. No surprise really since only one boat in each of the four divisions is crowned champion, walking away with a Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup trophy and a Rolex Yacht-master timepiece. This year the overall winners were Carlo Puri Negri & Atalanta II (ITA) in Mini Maxi, Jean Charles Decaux & J One (MON) in Wally, Ranger (CAY) in Cruising and, after a extraordinary racing performance today, Hasso Plattner and Morning Glory (GER) in the grand prix Racing Division.

Maxi Yachts Rolex Cup

Thursday's race saw all four divisions undertake pretty much yesterday's route in reverse. Results-wise, Morning Glory was top gun in Racing, beating Alfa Romeo on handicap by 15 seconds. In the Cruising Division, Ranger (CAY) finished 15-minutes behind Ghost (USA), but came out ahead on handicap. The 39 nautical mile race started opposite Porto Cervo into a 15 knot WNW. The fleet raced upwind to a turning mark before heading into the main channel at the gap between the southern end of Caprera & Isola delle Bisce. The yachts then beat up the length of the main passage between mainland Sardinia and the Maddalena Archipelago to Lavezzi. Here the yachts turned east and spinnaker reached back along the outside of the islands, past Monaci, to the final turning mark in the Golfo Peverro, just before the finish at Porto Cervo.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

Race two of the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup was a day of high drama. The 65 nautical mile Coastal Race took all four divisions all the way up the outside of the Maddalena Islands to Lavezzi and the southern tip of Corsica, returning back down the channel and beyond to the islet of Mortoriotto before a final return leg to the finish off Porto Cervo. This time the critical moment in proceedings was shortly after the start. But, once again, it involved the 30-metre supermaxi, Wild Oats XI (AUS). Within a few minutes of the start, her mast was seen to explode into three pieces. Four crew were launched into the water as the 12-tonne canting keel, then at maximum tilt and with nothing left above to balance it out, rolled the yacht violently to windward. All crew were safely recovered and, fortunately, only one crew was slightly injured during the catastrophe that brought to an abrupt end Bob Oatley's quest for victory and the continuation of the duel with her near sistership, Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo (NZL). Conditions at the start were uncomfortable, but not treacherous. A northeasterly Grecale at 15 knots had replaced the Mistral of yesterday. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda Race Committee had set the start inside the Maddalena channel to afford some protection from the far lumpier sea state directly outside Porto Cervo harbour. Most relieved with this decision were the numerous spectator, support and media vessels whose task of holding station with the line was made far easier in the moderated waters within the channel.

The Racing Division start was uneventful - initially at least. Alfa Romeo grabbed the pin end - owner/skipper Neville Crichton rightly convinced they could lay the first mark of the course at Monaci. In the Racing Division, Alfa Romeo pulled away gradually from Morning Glory and was the first yacht to reach the Monaci rocks. But as she launched out of the channel at Capo Ferro on the leg to Mortoriotto she stalled. In the Wally Division the battle at the head of the fleet was between Magic Carpet Squared and Y3K.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

At the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup if there is no wind, but somewhat more irritating if it is a surfeit that has caused the cancellation of the day's activities. The predicted Mistral wind arrived overnight with a vengeance. Anyone sleeping in Porto Cervo with the windows open last night would have sensed the onslaught of something special in the early hours of this morning. By the time yachts were due to leave the dock, the wind was blowing at an average of 40 knots, with gusts as high as 60 in the Straits of Bonifacio and 'around exposed headlands' - of which there are plenty in and around the Maddalena archipelago. With some of the most expensive racing yachts in the world assembled on the docks, owners and boat captains breathed a huge sigh of relief at the Race Committee's early decision to hold off until tomorrow. At 0930 the Committee signaled its intention to keep yachts in harbour to allow time see if the winds would moderate as predicted yesterday. By lunchtime it was clear the Mistral was here to stay and with no indication that a lessening in the strength would occur today, racing was duly postponed until Wednesday.

Ericsson Base on Lanzarote

With Scandinavia moving into the fall, the Ericsson Racing Team is starting a new phase in its preparation for the Volvo Ocean Race 2008-2009. On Tuesday, Ericsson's training yacht set sail from Stockholm to Lanzarote and the training camp that will be the team's base for almost a year. A combination of Ericsson's two crews is now sailing to Lanzarote. Brad Jackson from the international crew, with four Whitbread/Volvo Ocean Races behind him, is in command for the voyage. Also onboard is Anders Lewander, skipper of the Nordic crew which, during the journey, will focus on selecting crew members.

Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup

The Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup 2007 got underway on September 3 in the most glorious conditions. Blue sky, warm sun and building breeze - classic Porto Cervo. The Yacht Club Costa Smeralda sent the fleet on a 30-mile blast up and down the main channel between the Maddalena Islands and mainland Sardinia. For many of the crews it was a perfect shakedown race; for some others the increasing wind strength served to highlight any weaknesses in the crew-work or equipment. All four divisions started on time in 10-12 knots of westerly and a gentle sea-state. In Racing Division, the expected head to head between Neville Crichton's Alfa Romeo (NZL) and Bob Oatley's Wild Oats (AUS) let no one down. Overall victor on handicap in the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup Racing Division was Hasso Plattner's Morning Glory (GER).

Rolex Farr40 Worlds

The cold and rainy weather continued but with it, finally, some good breeze for the third day of racing in the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship off Copenhagen. With more than enough wind, the race committee was able to get off three races, though postponing a few starts to contend with the shifting breeze and squalls that came through the race area.

Eight races have been sailed till 31 August and each one has had a different winner - the leader board changing race to race. Though at the end of day three, a clear leader has emerged in Vincenzo Onorato's Mascalzone Latino (ITA) with 37 points (a race average of better than 5th/race). The Italian team is sailing strongly, and with a 3-5-3 today, appears almost untouchable.

Second overall to date is Jim Richardson's Barking Mad (USA) with a 14-6-2 today and stands on 61 points, and third is Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi (SUI), with 75 points. The Swiss team effectively lessened their chances for first place overall when they were over the starting line early in the last race of the day and had to return to restart. After that Alinghi went to the right side of the course and were never able to claw their way back to the front.

What a difference a few hours made for the final day of racing at the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship in Copenhagen, Denmark. After a delayed start of over three hours, PRO Peter Reggio and the Royal Danish Yacht Club race committee had patience and managed to add one final race to the scoreline, with nine races run in total. Winner overall and World Champion Vincenzo Onorato and his team on Mascalzone Latino (ITA) didn't need much to lock in their lead, finishing with a healthy 35-point lead over 2nd placed Ernesto Bertarelli's Alinghi (SUI).

Mascalzone becomes the 2nd team to win the Rolex Farr 40 Worlds twice (Jim Richardson's Barking Mad is the other), though the Italian team is the first to do it back to back. Dockside the team was presented with the Farr 40 World Champion trophy, sprayed with champagne and all crew members treated to a dunking in the chilly water off the Royal Danish Yacht Club marina. The day's race provide a few shake-ups in the top of the scoreboard as Barking Mad's (USA) 26th place and Alinghi's 7th place resulted in the American team finishing 3rd overall. Other boats made some impressive gains with a good showing in the last race including John Thomson's Infinity (USA) which, with a 3rd place today, moved from 15th to 7th overall.