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.