Bol d'Or Mirabaud

In typical Lake Geneva conditions with winds varying in speed and direction and after 12 hours of racing, the Bol d'Or Mirabaud came to a close in a tight finish for the three Extreme 40s who successfully completed the 82-mile journey of endurance in the 69th edition of this classic inland regatta. Female skipper and Olympic campaigning Tornado sailor, Carolijn Brouwer, led the Extreme 40s across the finish line onboard Holmatro at 2052 local time (+1hr BST). Then 5 minutes later Nick Moloney, skipper of Offshore Challenges Sailing Team, crossed the line obviously enjoying the conditions and the company of Swiss sailor Yvan Ravussin and Australian Olympic Tornado crew Darren Ashby onboard. The third Extreme 40, Volvo Ocean Race, this time steered by Herbert Dercksen finished just over 20 minutes later. It has been amazing to see 40 multihulls on the start line alongside over 500 other boats. The Extreme 40s would be doing 20 knots, flying one of their hulls.

Trofeo Alicante Completed

With Vicente Tirado's Caixa Galicia holding a lead of just two points and eight points separating the top five boats, the second coastal race of the Trofeo Alicante could prove to be the race that decides the regatta.

The southerly breeze offered the full range from eight to eighteen to four knots through the 28 miles course which took the fleet round Tabarca Island from the SW to NW. A long tactical beat in a building breeze saw the fleet split with a big lateral separation. The group which went left benefited from better pressure and a lifting direction.

While it was the pink flamed bow of the Valle Romano Mean Machine which breached the points gate and then the finish first, second in both sections vaulted Bribon to lead the overall standings. And although there has been a different leader each day, Bribon was looking forward to the final two scheduled windward-leeward races of Sunday with an eight points cushion.

On Sunday, day 6 of 6, there was no racing. The Rolf Vrolijk design was the last of the new 2007 build TP52’s to be commissioned and was completed in something close to record time. Launched only 13 days before the start of the regatta, with only four days sailing prior to the first start guns of the Trofeo Alicante, the crew of Bribon counted the clock down. When the 15:00 hrs time limit was finally reached and the last opportunity for racing expired with it, Bribon became the winners of the Trofeo Alicante, the first regatta of the 2007 Breitling MedCup circuit. The race officers made a valiant attempt to get a race away, but two general recalls thwarted their efforts and very quickly the seven knot south easterly gradient breeze died away to just a whisper.

While Bribon topped the 23 boat fleet which turned out for this first regatta of the season, Peter de Ridder’s Valle Romano Mean Machine won the Corinthian Trophy, taking second place overall.

Trofeo Alicante

With the 28 mile coastal race offering double points there was no room for errors today at the Trofeo Alicante, the first event of the 2007 Breitling MedCup circuit which has attracted 23 TP52's. The two boats which topped the leaderboard suffered their own costly problems. Artemis the Swedish boat skippered by three times America's Cup skipper Russell Coutts built a lead of over two and half minutes around the inshore course that took the fleet out from Alicante Bay around the Tabarca islands. But on the downwind sprint to the finish Artemis failed to pass to starboard of the final mark of the course before crossing the finish line and was subsequently disqualified from the race. Coutts protested for the jury's interpretation of the sailing instructions and Notice of Race who maintained they made a mistake and Artemis was reinstated as first for the first part of the race. The problems for series leaders, Ian Walker and the crew of Patches, were in their mainsail halyard lock that malfunctioned on the first beat.

Giraglia 2007

Maurizio Biscardi's sailing experience is not very extensive by his own admission, but that did not stop him and his crew onboard Libertine from taking home the top position in this classic Mediterranean regatta. Maurizio Biscardi's Comet 45s, with a corrected time of 28:42:29, became the IMS category winner with a lead of more than an hour and ten minutes over Ernesto Gismondi's Edimetra VI. Libertine had an excellent start on Wednesday in St. Tropez that allowed them to clear up their position among the fleet and stabilize their navigation. The first tactical decisions came in on Wednesday night when Libertine moved close to the coast and sailed on a stable wind of 6 knots. In the IRC class, it was nine full hours after Alfa Romeo that the second boat of the class arrived at the Yacht Club Italiano in Genoa. Quinta Santa Maria was second to arrive and Damiani Our Dream followed, only two nautical miles behind, taking 2nd place overall in the IRC Class on corrected time. Third place in the class went to K2Wind who came in on corrected time 10 minutes before Quinta Santa Maria, who was 4th and last overall in the class.

IRC Class

1. Alfa Romeo, Neville Crichton (NZL)

2. Damiani Our Dream, Claudio Uberti (ITA)

3. K2 Wind, Nicholas Wrigley (GBR)

IMS Class Group A

1. Libertine, Maurizio Biscardi (ITA)

2. Edimetra VI, Ernesto Gismondi (ITA)

3. Bcube, Andrea Siano (ITA)

Elpida Cup

Elpida (Hope) Cup is a charity race named after Friends' Association for Children with Cancer 'ELPIDA' ", which was established in 1990 in order to help and support sick children suffering from cancer, as well as their families.

The event includes one coastal race, held today, and an inshore round the marks race planned for tommorow. Crews participating must consist of one male and one female only. The boats were divided in two IMS groups, a total number of 22 boats, and there were another 14 Platu 25 in a separate class.

The coastal race started with ideal sailing sonditions, a southwestern breeze of 10 to 12 knots. The 22 mile course was very exciting with wind shifts and close racing. The first boat to finish was a Bashford designed 40 footer that took less than 3 hours to cross the finish line.

Giraglia Offshore

She may not have broken the current record, but Neville Crichton's 100-foot super maxi Alfa Romeo still had a stunning race finish today in the waters off the Port of Genoa. At 1230 CEST the super maxi crossed the finish line entirely alone as the rest of the 159 boat fleet had just started to round the Giraglia rock. Only 32 minutes and 10 seconds separated Neville Crichton and his crew from breaking the 243-mile course record set by Crichton's former 90-foot Alfa Romeo maxi yacht in 2003. It was 0543 CEST this morning when Alfa Romeo rounded the Giraglia rock, 80 nautical miles ahead of her fellow competitors and sailing at a speed of 9 knots. Only better wind conditions could have helped the silver-grey maxi yacht to sail any faster as everything on board went smoothly throughout the race. The crew of Alfa Romeo including tactician Michael Coxon had a true test on their hands in the prevailing light airs if they were to beat the course record set on the old, conventional keeled Alfa Romeo. Neville Crichton and his crew were welcomed at the docks of the Yacht Club Italiano by the YCI president Carlo Croce, the claps of the spectators and big bottles of champagne. Behind Alfa Romeo, Carlo Puri Negri's Atalanta II led a small chasing of boats around the Giraglia rock in second position, closely followed by Damiani Our Dream, and Silvano Bortoli's Quinta Santa Maria.

MedCup Alicante

Two good races on the second day of competition at the Trofeo Alicante, the first regatta of the 2007 Breitling MedCup circuit, and it is Ian Walker and the crew of the new Reichel-Pugh designed Patches, owned by Eamon Conneely, which tops the fleet of 23 TP52’s.

In ideal conditions, 20 knots of breeze, perfect sunshine and just enough swell and chop to help the TP52’s pop their bows and plane, it was the type of exhilarating conditions savoured by owners, crews and spectators alike.

With Walker calling tactics and Tim Powell driving, the Irish flagged Patches added a second fifth place to their scoreline in the morning before finishing runners up this afternoon behind Peter de Ridder’s defending champions on Valle Romano Mean Machine. Patches lead by three points from Russell Coutts and a high calibre team on Torbjorn Tornqvist’s new Judel Vrolijk designed Artemis. Artemis scored a runaway win in the first race of the day.

Coutts choreographed a text book start clear ahead within seconds of the gun. In 10-14 knots of southerly breeze they reaped the rewards of erring towards the right, favoured side of the first beat and were never challenged after the first mark. Slick handling was required especially in the second race, as the sea breeze built sharply and De Ridder and his team capitalised after they went round the windward mark first, building a comfortable lead. The coastal race, which counts for double points, is scheduled for today.

Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Race

Rolex SA and the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda (YCCS) are to strengthen their quarter-century collaboration with the development of a new ocean race - the Transatlantic Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup. Although the inaugural race is set to take place in late November, many Maxi yacht owners have already expressed their interest. Promoted by the International Maxi Association (IMA), the regatta is organized by YCCS in collaboration with the Real Club Nautico de Tenerife for the start and the Sint Maarten Yacht Club for the finish. It is open to monohull Maxi yachts with a minimum overall length of 18 metres (59 feet) that are in compliance with the IMA's five division regulations (Racing, Cruising, Wally, Spirit of Tradition, Mini Maxi).

Breitling MedCup Circuit 2007

The wind disappointed yesterday both in quantity and quality, allowing only one race. Today at the Trofeo Alicante, the first event on the 2007 Breitling MedCup circuit, there are three races scheduled. Most forecasts seem to confirm that there is a strong chance that the sea-breeze will build more today and we should see some more exciting racing. With Luna Rossa’s Charlie McKee calling the tactics Cristabella started with a valuable seventh place yesterday, just behind Bribon. Mark Reynolds was on Anonimo for several regattas in 2006 but this year it is planned that on the water he will be mainly advising from the support boat.

MedCup- Alicante

As if proof is needed that a new 2007 TP52 not a necessity to win on the Breitling MedCup TP52 circuit, the three year old Botin & Carkeek design Balearia stole the thunder from the posse of brand new boats among the 23 strong fleet by winning the first - and only - race of the Trofeo Alicante today.

Good starting and astute first leg tactics proved much more important than sheer boatspeed today. In just a gentle southerly 6 knot breeze which swung slightly to the right, Balearia were smartly off the start line and quick to break to the favoured right side of the course. With French Olympic 470 gold medallist Thierry Pepponet calling tactics for skipper-helm Gonzalo Araujo, Balearia broke free of the traffic at the windward mark, passing the windward mark 11 seconds up on Vicente Tirado's new Caixa Galicia with Ricardo Simoneschi steering Anonimo, the 2006 Judel-Vroljk design, only four seconds behind in third. Anonimo went furthest right on the downwind leg to round the leeward gate in second, but they could make little impression on Balearia who went on take first gun with 45 seconds in hand over Anonimo and Caixa Galicia another 12 seconds behind.

After a long wait a second race was started but the breeze expired and just after 1730hours an end was called to a long day afloat in the heat when it as abundantly clear that no further racing would be possible. Complementing these changes, as well as recruiting Pepponet, Balearia has several new crew including former members of Spain's Desafio Espanol.