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Nobody wanted to sail the Practice Race yesterday, and the kickoff to the 470 Junior Championship was given today with two races sailed in a 10 kn breeze. Matthew and Robert Crawford AUS, winners of the Pre-Worlds, are the overall leaders one point ahead of Sivitz/Farneti ITA and Turner/Drummond NZL. The winners of race one, Masilge/Klingenberger GER, follow on the 4th place. By far the best ladies team are Kyranakou/Kisters NED on rank 6. The results and the preview presented by the 470 class.

Leader changes in a row with the closely sailing top four when entering the Strait of Malacca, the busiest waterway in the world, due to a very unconstant wind. This morning, 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP is again on top, 7 miles ahead of 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) and 16,7 miles of 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL). 21 miles behind the Spanish is Franck Cammas FRA and his 'Groupama' joining in in the fight for the leader position. 500 miles, actually at a 12 kn average speed, have to be passed thru this Strait. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

The MOCR comes in its final phase, as after yesterday's races 7 and 8, sailed in classic Miami conditions with a 10-12 kn breeze, the last heats of today will decide on the qualifications for the Medal Races of Saturday. Admittedly, the favorites are on the first places, but the gaps remain close in most of the classes, and racing will be exciting in the two days ahead. Belcher/Page AUS are still on top of the 470 men, but Coster/Coster NED are only 4 points behind. A mere point is the lead of Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED on Hannah Mills/Sakjia Clark GBR in the 470 women. The duel in the 49ers between Delle-Karth/Resch AUT and Storck/Moore USA 3 points back continues. Zach Railey USA in the Finns is the one with a solid advance (10 points) on the second-ranked Jonas Hoegh-Chrstensen DEN. The top group in the Starboats is closer together with Scheidt/Prada BRA and Lööf/Salminen SWE tied on top ahead of Melleby/Pedersen NOR 3 points behind. Sally Barkow USA, Lucy McGregor GBR, Silja Lehtinen FIN and Olivia Price AUS qualified for the semi-finals in the Women's Match Race. Nick Dempsey GBR in the RS:X-men and Demita Vega MEX in the RS:X-women continue to dominate the windsurfers. The daily report and all results. For the first time at this year's MOCR, videos on the activities on Biscayne Bay have been posted..

The Lasers Standard, split in Gold- and Silverfleets, sailed two races yesterday initially in a 12 kn breeze, lateron declining to 8 kn. Inspite of mediocre results (7/12), Paul Goodison GBR is back on top of the overall rankings again, with David Wright CAN 3 points behind. Man of the day was Bruno Fontes BRA with two bullets, advancing on rank 3, only 3 points behind Goodison. Today, the last qualifiers before the Medal Races of the top-10 will be sailed. With the ranks 9 (Charlie Buckingham USA) to 12 (Lee Parkhill CAN) separted by 4 points only, the heat will be on today. The results of the Lasers Standard.
The new leader in the Lasers Radial is Lijia Xu CHN, with a 6 points' lead on the World Champion Marit Bouwmeester NED after the day ranks 1 and 2 yesterday. Evi Van Acker BEL follows on the 3rd place.
The report of the day and the videos.

Ongoing solid performances by the two Swiss top teams, and both, Marazzi/De Maria SUI in the Starboat and Nathalie Brugger SUI in the Laser Radial will qualify for the Medal Race today. Finishing 8th and 12rh today, Nathalie Brugger SUI defended her 4th place in the Lasers Radial, but the deficit on the 3rd-ranked Evi Van Acker BEL is already 17 points. Also on rank 4 are Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria SUI in the Starboats. Guillaume Girod SUI, sailing in the Laser Standard Goldfleet is now 29th. The official report.

From last to first .... 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP will be again the leader 2 miles ahead of 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) when entering the Strait of Malakka this afternoon. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) on position 3 is only 5 miles behind. Light and fickle winds will prevail during the coming two days. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

The three Paralympic classes have already completed the qualification races and will sail the Medal Races today. Damien Séguin FRA, with a 20 points' lead on the Paralympic Gold medalist Pau Tingley CAN, is already the winner in the 2.4mR at the MOCR. The fight will go on for rank 3, where Megan Pascoe GBR is only one point ahead of the tied trio Le Blanc USA, Kol NED and Finch USA. The victory in the Skud 18 will be decided between the tied Fitzgibbon/Tresch AUS and Rickham/Birell GBR. Udo Hessels NED and his team are the new leaders in the Sonars, but the chasers John Robertson GBR and Bruno Jourdren FRA are not far away. The daily report and the videos.

Based on the latest weather forecasts for Northern Europe, the organisers have decided in favor of a lake near Örebro in Sweden as venue for the DN World & European Championships 2012. The first races are planned for next Monday. The report.

The 470 Junior World Championship 2012 in New Zealand begins today with the Practice Race. 32 teams from 14 nations are on the entry list. A Pre-Worlds-Regatta was held with the two New Zealand Olympic teams Snow-Hansen/Saunders NZL and Jo Aleh/Olivia Powrie NZL as sparring partners. Winners were however the Australian Youth team Crawford/Crawford. The results and the event-website where the resultats of the Practice Race will be posted during this morning.

A fresher breeze of up to 15 kn prevailed yesterday, and the specialists in such condition marked their presence. Belcher/Page AUS extended their lead on top of the 470 men, and in the 470 women, Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED replaced the leading Mills/Clarke GBR on the first position with the day ranks 1 and 2. Delle-Karth/Resch AUT took over rank 1 in the 49ers with three bullets, one point ahead of Storck/Moore USA. Increasing the gap on the runner-up was also Zach Railey USA in the Finns, ahead of Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN. The day rank 1 and 2 brought Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada BRA on top of the Starboats, followed by Lööf/Salminen SWE and Melleby/Pedersen NOR. Nick Dempsey GBR is the dominant leader in the RS:X-male windsurfers with 5 of the 6 heats completed in his favor, while the small RS:X-female windsurfers fleet is dominated by Demita Vega MEX. Four quarter-finalists are known in the Women Match Race with Sally Barkow USA (11-1), Silja Lehtinen FIN (10-2), Ekaterina Skudina RUS (8-4) and Anna Tunnicliffe USA. The Group B qualifiers will be decided today. All rankings and the daily report.

The day ranks 1 and 2 and the discard becoming effective after 6 races brought David Wright CAN back on top of the Laser Standard, one point ahead of Paul Goodison GBR. Chris Dold CAN remains on the 3rd place.
Another successful race day for Lijia Xu CHN in the Lasers Radial reducing the gap on Marit Bouwmeester NED to one point. The third-ranked Evi Van Acker BEL and Nathalie Brugger SUI are already 19 points behind the Chinese.
With a 15 kn breeze blowing, this was the freshest day so far. Comes in addition, that tactics were very tricky in the variable winds on the course close to the shore. The report of the day.

Again good Swiss results on day three of the Miami Worldcup event, and the discard coming into effect helped in addition to improve the rankings. Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria SUI added another race and Nathalie Brugger SUI finished solidly on the ranks 3 and 7 in the Lasers Radial, moving up on rank 4 with the same number of points as Evi Van Acker BEL on 3rd. Manon Luther SUI follows on rank 23. Also on rank 4 overall are Marazzi/De Maria SUI in the Starboats as they could deleted the early start penalty. Niklaus/Strube SUI/USA and Chatagny/Ducommun SUI follow on the ranks 20 and 23. Guillaume Girod SUI lost two places in the Lasers Standard, but as 24th of the 76 paricipants, he remains in the Goldfleet. The official report.

The fleet is now heading North still in a moderate breeze and will reach the entrance to the 500 miles' Strait of Malakka. The leader now is 'Camper' with Chris Nicholson NZL, closely followed by 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) 1.8 miles behind as well as 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA) and 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) 4 miles back. The next challenge is the passing of the Strait of Malakka with its dense ship traffic and a light and unconstant breeze. The final count-down for the win of leg 3 will begin later in the South Chinese Sea. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

No changes on top of the three Paralympic Classes after yesterday's two races. Damien Séguin FRA clearly keeps the lead in the 2.4 mR. The new second - after the discard becoming effective - is Mark Le Blanc USA. In the Skud-18, Rickham/Birell GBR extended their lead on Fitzgibbon/Tresch AUS on 2 points. Bruno Jourdren FRA and his team kept his first place in the Sonars, despite of their weakest day so far. The daily report.

Next weekend, the World and European Championship of the DN-Ice-Sailors is scheduled to begin, and as usual, the organisers - this time the Germans - are busy looking for good ice. Sweden would be OK as far as ice is concerned, but there is too much snow on the surface, and the wind forecasts are not brilliant either. Another option is Poland provided the cold front announced for today will increase the thickness of the ice. As always, the decision where to go will be taken on very short notice. The report.

Light but constant winds prevailed yesterday and all classes sailed two or three races. The favorites are on their way up the rankings in most of the classes, such as in the 470 men, where the World Champions Belcher/Page AUS are now 2 points ahead of Coster/Coster NED. Mills/Clarke extended their lead in the 470 women, with Kadelbach/Behrens GER new on rank 2. Storck/Moore USA are still on rank 1 in the 49ers, but Delle-Karth/Resch AUT 6 points behind are getting closer. No doubts about the leader in the Finns where Zach Railey USA dominates with three race wins. A leader change happened in the Starboats, where Melleby/Pedersen NOR joined Mendelblatt/Fatih USA on top with the same number of points, one point ahead of Lööf/Salminen SWE. Mariano Reutemann ARG is the new first in the RS:X-men windsurfers, as the triple race winner Nick Dempsey GBR has an OCS disqualification in his books for the moment. The best RS:X-woman windsurfer is now clearly Demita Vega MEX. Group B of the Women-Match-Race sailed a rather leveled Round Robin yesterday with Mandy Mulder NED on top with a 6-1 score ahead of Tamara Echegoyen ESP and Olivia Powrie AUS with 5-2 wins each. The report of the day and all results.

Both Laser classes sailed two races according to the program yesterday in a 8-10 kn breeze. Paul Goodison GBR is the new leader in the Lasers Standard winning both races of his group. David Wright CAN follows one point behind. Chris Dold CAN is 3rd.
Marit Bouwmeester NED remains the highflyer in the Lasers Radial, as her advance on the second-ranked Charlotte Dobson GBR is now already 18 points. Tania Elias-Calles MEX is 3rd. The best of the day was Lijia Xu CHN finishing 1 and 2, that brings her on rank 5 behind Evi Van Acker BEL.The daily report and all results.

Ongoing remarkable performances by the Swiss participants, doing quite well in the light winds. Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria SUI even had a race win in the Starboats, but took an OCS disqualifcation in race two of the day, keeping them on rank 12 for the moment with best chances to move up to the top-10 when the discard becomes effective. Michel Niklaus SUI with the well-known US crew Mark Strube is on a solid 19th place. Chatagny/Ducommun SUI follow on rank 22. Nathalie Brugger SUI did not sail at her level (ranks 20 and 9), but she remains nevertheless on the 6 place of the Lasers Radial. Manon Luther SUI however has lost some positions and is now 22nd. On the way up in the Lasers Standard is Guillaume who is now 22nd overall thanks to a 6th race rank in his group. The official report.

The fleet still sails eastbound on a long port tack in moderate conditions. 'Puma' with Ken Read USA keeps the lead 1,7 miles ahead of 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson GBR). Winner of yesterday was 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP, who remained within the 17 miles' backlog to the leaders, and at the same time moved up two places to rank 4. The race-viewer, the report of the day and the videos.

As in most of the ISAF World Cup events, the Paralympic Classes join the Olympic circuit, also in Miami, where the MOCR followed the Paralympics Worlds back-to-back. The World Champion in the 2.4 mR Damien Séguin FRA is on a clear leader position already, followed by Paul Tingley CAN and Megan Pascoe GBR with the same number of points. In the Skud 18 is a duel between Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birell GBR and Daniel Fitzgibbon/Liesl Tresch AUS going on, separated by one point only. Another French lead by Bruno Jourdren FRA stays in the Sonars, where Paul Callahan USA follows 4 points behind on rank 2. The dailry report.

The Swiss Laser Class Association published the ranking lists 2011 a few days ago. Andreas Kyburz SCMT, Laser Standard (58 participants), Sydney Bussard CNV ahead of Nathalie Brugger CVE, Laser Radial (76 participants) and Kilian Wagen CNP ahead of Maud Jayet CNP, Laser 4.7 (44 participants) are the winners. The best Master (45 participants) was Markus Ochs CVVT.

As every year, the 'European Yachts of the Year' were selected on the occasion of the 'boot' show in Düsseldorf. Winner in the category 'Special Yachts' is the Esse 750 of Josef Schuchter SUI. The winners. All boats of the Schuchter-Boatyard are on show in the hall A16/56.

The Miami OCR 2012 on Biscayne Bay, second event of the ISAF Worldcup, began yesterday in an initial 12 kn beeze decreasing during the afternoon with two races for most of the classes. The 470 men however completed only one heat with Coster/Coster NED as winners ahead of Mantis/Kagialis GRE and Belcher/Page AUS. First in the only 470 women regatta were Mills/Clark GBR followed by Westerhof/Berkhout NED. In the 49ers, the clear leaders after three races are Stork/Moore USA in front of Delle-Karth/Resch AUT. Winner of the only Finn race was Zach Railey USA followed by Caleb Paine USA and Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN. Lööf/Salminen SWE and Mendelblatt/Fatih USA share the lead in the Starboats in front of Scheidt/Prada BRA. In the RS:X-men, Nick Dempsey GBR crossed the finish line as first in both heats, while Farrah Hall USA and Demita Vega MEX share rank one in the RS:X-women. Women-Match Race began with group A and Siljia Lehtinen FIN is leading with an 8-1 score ahead of Sally Barkow USA 6-0 and Anna Tunnicliffe USA 6-1. The report of the day.

Light winds prevailed on day one of the Miami OCR, second event of the ISAF Worldcup 2012. The initial 12 kn breeze diminished during the afternoon. The recently crowned World Champion Marit Bouwmeester NED clearly took the lead in the Lasers Radial ahead of Danielle Dubé CAN and Charlotte Dobson GBR.
David Wright CAN took control over the Lasers Standard winning both races of his group. Paul Goodison GBR is 2nd, the tied Chris Dold CAN and Jesper Stahlheim SWE are 3rd. The official report and the event-website.

The Swiss had a good first day at the Miami OCR. With the day ranks 7 and 9, Nathalie Brugger SUI is on rank 4 of the Lasers Radial. Manon Luther SUI follows on the 15th place ahead of the Olymp medalist Lijia Xu CHN. Twice rank 6 for Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria leave them on the 7th place overall in the Starboats. Niklaus/Strube SUI/USA and Chatagny/Ducommun SUI follow on the positions 18 and 19. With rank 27 in the Lasers Standard, Guillaume Girod SUI is on track for the Goldfleet at the moment. The official report.

The 6 teams sailing East on a long upwind beat passed South of Sri Lanka during last night. There are not too many tactical options in this drag race. 'Puma' with Ken Read USA remained on top, but in the last 12 hours, 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) reduced the gap to 1,3 miles. 'Groupama' with Franck Cammas FRA follows on 3rd with a 2,8 miles' backlog. The overall leader 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP is not yet up to speed being last 15 miles behind. The race-viewer, the daily report and the videos.

At the 'boot' show in Düsseldorf, the promotors of the new One-Design-Trimarans MOD 70 presented the Europa-Tour 2012, starting in Kiel on August 29 after the Transatlantic Regatta of the class. The competition consists of short races at the ports of call, and the long distance races between these ports of roughly 5'000 miles. The destinations after Kiel GER are Emerals Isle IRL, Cascais POR, Marseille FRA to the coast of Liguria. Six teams will participate, among them the double Vendée Globe winner Michel Desjoyeaux FRA and one of the initiators of the class, Stève Ravussin SUI from Geneva. The report.

The Olympic and Paralympic Wordcup event two racing starts today on Biscayne Bay with 521 competitors from 41 nations on the entrylist. A moderate easterly breeze around 15 kn has been forecast promising perfect conditions. The official preview.

Part two of leg three of the Volvo Ocean Race left the Maledives yesterday in a moderate 10 kn breeze, heading for the Chinese holiday island Sanya 3000 miles away. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) has taken the lead 1,2 miles in front of 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA) and 1,8 miles before 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL). The six teams are about to reach the Malakka Strait with its dense ship traffic adding another challenge.The report and the race-viewer.

12 Optmist-Teams from 8 nations competed in the YC Monaco Team-Racing-Event over the past weekend. After 42 duels, the team of the Gstaad YC SUI defeated the team of the Fraglia Vela Desenzano ITA from Lake Gardasee. In the petite finale, the Féderation de Voile Tunisienne won over the Irish Royal Cork YC. The report with results.

Only one race could be sailed on the last day of the Antibes Ski-Yachting. Goedhart/Van Steckelenborg NED are the winners in the 420s, Boite/Gallo FRA are first in the 5o5s closely followed by Holzapfel/Worm GER. In the Dragons, François Jacquard FRA and his team are on the top position. The dominator in the Finns was Thomas Morel FRA. All results.

Ernesto Bertarelli SUI gives his comeback as skipper and helmsman of the 'Alinghi' cat at the opening event of the Extreme Sailing Series 2012 in Dubai end of February. Another returnee to the public-friendly tour will be Erik Maris FRA. The preview.

The start to part 2 of leg 3 will be given today at 8 a.m. UCT, and as it appears, the Maledives were the secret safe port of call. Surprises will not be excluded during this leg, as especially the last part passing the South Chinese Sea will probably be the most bumpy part of the whole race.The start can as always be followed live on the Internet. A preview.

After the ski race two days ago - results not published - all classes sailed two races each during the first two sailing days. Leaders in the 420s are Thelier/Germain FRA followed by Goedhard/Van Steckelenborg NED.e In the 5o5, Markt/Conversy FRA are ahead of Boite/Gallo FRA and Holzapfel/Worm GER. A race win was not enough for Betschen/Jacot SUI to do better as rank 8 in the interim rankings. The leading Dragon is 'Tramontana' with Manzoni/Fravezzi/Leardini ITA. Zürcher/Dührsen/Engstfeld SUI follow on rank 18. In the Finns, Thomas Morel FRA is in front of Jacques Faurox FRA and Denis Castanet FRA. All
l results.

Only minor changes in the two races of the last day at the KWRW 2012. The former Moth World Champion Bora Gulari USA is the outstanding winner in the Melges 24 with 7 wins in 10 races. Alan Field USA , two bullets, is on rank two, while Franco Rossini SUI (this time with Matteo Ivaldini ITA as tactician) remains on the third place. John Kilroy USA, 'Samba Pa Ti', with tactician Lorenzo Bressani ITA defended the first place in the Melges 32. Clear winners also Darren Hillard USA in the J/80 and Deneen Demourkas USA in the Farr 30. Only 'Barking Mad' of James Richardson USA with Hamish Pepper NZL calling tactics jumped on rank 1 in the Farr 40 thanks to two race wins, two points ahead of Alberto Rossi ITA and Wolfgang Schäfer GER. All rankings,the report and the video of the day.

'Team New Zealand' has also started the construction of the first America's-Cup-catamaran AC72. The Team director Grant Dalton recently showed media around the boatyard and in formed in detail. The video-report.

The International 420 Class Association launched a new website two days ago with a neat design clearly informing an all details of interest such as class basics, news, programs, videos, trainings-tips, making use of the latest social media approaches (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube,..). The report on the new 420 website.

The Key West Race Week continued yesterday with three more races sailed in a moderate 10 kn breeze. Before today's final two races, the outcome seems to be decided in some of the classes: Bora Gulari USA leads the Melges 24 fleet by 10 points on Alan Field USA and on equal Points Franco Rossini SUI. 18 points is the advance of Darden Hillard USA in the J/80. Tension could rise in the Melges 32 where John Kilroy's USA ('Samba Pa Ti') margin on Benjamin Schwartz USA on 'Pisces' is just four points. All rankings, the daily report and the videos.

As last of the six teams 'Sanya' finished the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race which lead the fleet to a secret and save harbour in the Indian Ocean. Next sunday the entire fleet will start here for the second part of leg 3 which leads the VOR over 4'000 miles to China. The report and a video presentation.

After three days of nonstop sailing, Yvan Bourgnon SUI and Sébastien Roubinet FRA finished their 400 miles race around Cape Horn on their 6 meter Nacra 20-Beach-Catamaran in Ushuaia, the most southern harbour of Argentina. No reports, pictures or videos are available this morning, it's just the Race-Viewer who announces the end of this pioneer record journey.

Teahupoo in the Southern Sea close to Tahita is famous among surfers for it's huge waves. At last years Billabong Pro Contest the waves were as high as never before. See the impressive video.

Light, fickle winds promoted organizers with Premiere Racing to cancel competition on Wednesday with hope that better breezes would allow for three starts on Thursday when winds are forecast to be 7 to 12 knots. This has only been the fourth day lost in this wind-safe area for the last 20 years. Up to now, all classes have completed five races. The event ends tomorrow Friday. All results, the report of the day and the videos.

Yvan Bourgnon SUI/Sébastien Roubinet FRA have sailed roughly two third of their trip around the most southern point of Cape Horn. This morning, they interrupted their journey for a rest in one of the nature parks of the Cape, without indicating the reason. Was it fatigue, thr fresh breeze, damage, or just the pure interest ? This morning already, they plan to be back at Ushuaia. The race-viewer.

The Antibes Ski Yachting begins today with the giant-slalom at Auron one hour from Nice FRA with a good international attention again this year. The entry lists and the event-website.

The fresh breeze around 20 kn allowed to sail three more races at the KWRW yesterday, with a stellar performance by Bora Gulari USA, winning all five Melges 24 heats so far. Alan Field USA on rank 2 is 10 points behind. Franco Rossini SUI, 'Blu Moon', defended rank 3. Thanks to two race wins in the Melges 32, Benjamin Schwartz USA (tactics Ed Baird USA) is on rank 1 with the same number of points as John Kilroy USA. The clear leader in the J/80 with a 12 points advance is Darden Hillard USA, while in the Farr 40s, there is a tie between Nico Pons MON and Wolfgang Schäfer GER. All results, the video of the day and the report.

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While the five finishers of leg 2 are underway by cargo vessel to the start location of leg 3 part 2 - here the latest report - , the Chinese Team 'Sanya' is still crossing the Indian Ocean after her repair stop in Madagascar. Mike Sanderson NZL and his team have now at least left the doldrums behind and sail in good condition with a 20 kn plus speed direction the secret arrival place. From there, they will join the fleet again and start to the second part of leg three on January 23. The report.

The Swiss Yvan Bourgnon and the French arctic explorer Sébastien Roubinet start today at Ushuaia ARG to a 500 miles' rounding of Cape Horn passing the Cook-Street, around the Cape and back via Beagle-channel to Ushuaia. The estimated sailing time is 72 hours provided the sailing condition allow it for the 20 foot catamaran (Nacra20). In addition to wind and waves, the cold with temperatures around the freezing point will be the major challenge. The report (f) and the race-viewer.
Already before the start to this new venture, Yvan Bourgnon SUI announced his next extreme project: a solo non-stop round-the-world record attempt in the opposite direction against the wind East to West on the 70-foot trimaran 'Geronimo'. The report (f).

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Sun and a 15-20 kn seabreeze prevailed yesterday, a classic Key West sailing day, and all 13 classes completed two races. 'Samba Pa Ti' of James Kilroy USA took the lead in the still growing Melges 32 ahead of Alec Cutler BER and Vincenzo Onorato ITA. The past Moth World Champion Bora Gulari USA is leading in the Melges 24 with Alan Field USA and Franco Rossini SUI tied on rank 2. Darden Hillard USA is on top in the largest fleet, the J/80's. All results, the videos and the report.

The ISAF Mixed Multihuill Evaluation will take place in Santandér ESP form March 17 to 25. Men/women teams to act as test teams for the new 2016 event equipment are welcome. Enter asap via your national federation to ISAF. More ......

After the windy Worlds 2010 in Australia, the Moth Class is coming back to Europe this year. The Class remains booming and the noiseless flying over the water makes addicted ! Since its launching, the Mach 2's dominate the ranking lists of the major championships. Thanks to the latest technology, the Mach 2's are not only fast, but also very reliable and solid. They are equipped with the newly developped smaller foils allowing to fly even more easily. The licensed distributors are happy to answer any questions. See informations on the website or choose a mail-contact.

The second 2012 ISAF World Cup event will begin in Miami on the coming weekend with the Olympic Classes Regatta (OCR). While a number of nations are still in the process of selecting the Olympic squad, there are some taking part in the OCR with tune-up and training objectives in view of the 2012 Games. A good qualitiy attendance can be noted in the 470s, Laser and Starboats, where two strong comeback teams - Pepper/Turner NZL and Spitzauer/Habermüller AUT - not sailing the nations qualifiers in Perth in December have reappeared. The entry lists and the event-website.

Dramatic moments apparently for the leg 2 winners Conrad Colman/Sam Goodchild GBR in the approach to the finish. In the breeze increasing to 30 kn and a 4 meter swell, Sam Goodchild hurried on the foredeck without PFD and life-line, and was washed outboard by a big wave. After a 25 minutes struggle and thanks to the MOB recovery system, Goodchild was safed in a hypothermic state. The report (f).

No changes in the top positions after the final races yesterday. Damien Séguin FRA added another bullet taking the World Champion title with a big advance on Thierry Schmitter NED silver and Paul Tingley CAN bronze. On rank 4 follow with the same number of points Helena Lucas GBR and Heiko Kröger GER. Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birell GBR stayed on top of the Skud-18. To mention the improved performance of Jennifer French/Jean-Paul Creignou USA in the last races and winning the last heat, they took silver ahead of the tied Fitzgibbon/Tresch AUS. Alexander Wang-Hansen NOR and his team had the title in the Sonars secured already on Saturday, with Bruno Jourdren FRA finally with silver and John Robertson GBR bronze.
The final rankings and the reports and videos.

The 470 North Americans on Biscayne Bay - the venue of the second ISAF Worldcup in two weeks - ended yesterday with three more races. Sven and Kalle Coster NED dominated again with the day ranks 1/1/2 and are the superior winners ahead of Stuart McNay/Graham Biehl USA and Schmid/Reichstädter AUT (2/2/1 yesterday). Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED rank 6 were the best female team in the 21 boats' fleet from 10 nations. The final rankings.

After the sprint race of Saturday again with 'Abu Dhabi' and Ian Walker GBR as winners, the five Volvo 70s are now on a cargo vessel heading for the starting place on the Indian Ocean, where the second part of leg 3 will be started on January 25th. During the stop-over in Abu Dhabi, the teams had for the first time the chance to fine-tune their boats. Ian Walker GBR and Ken Read USA, skipper of 'Puma' seem to have felt some results in the sprint race already. The report and the video-summary of part one, leg 3.

The blu26, successfully launched four years ago, will again be exposed at the Düsseldorf GER 'boat' show: this time with the sail number NED 30 as it is the first blu constructed at the Dutch Winner Yachts boatsyard. And again this year, for the third time, the class association will be organising a regatta training on Lake Garda, jointly with the sailingcenter Tegernsee. During four days, the pro sailors Christian Scherrer and Stephan Eder will held clinics on the water and in the class room All further details on the bluboats-website.

The organising Premiere Racing was happy last year to welcome Quantum Sail Design Group as title sponsor of the Key West Race Week in a difficult economy time. Today is the first race day for 119 teams sailing in 13 different handicap and one-design class fleets, with the J-80s as well as the Melges 32 and 24 as largest fleets. As always, a number of well known names from the Olympic sailing circuit, the America's Cup or the Volvo Ocean Race are among the crews (see entry list). Monday and Tuesday look to be the windiest days of the week with wind topping in the low or mid-20s. Conditions moderate on Tuesday before the lightest day of the week under 10 knots on Wednesday. A gradual return of pressure is expected through Thursday with moderate trade winds returning for the final races on Friday. The official preview.

The Laser Caribbean Midwinters in the Dominican Republic ended yesterday in moderate winds between 8 and 12 kn. Julio Alsogaray ARG was the clear winner in the Lasers Standard ahead of Michele Regolo ITA and Aard Van Aanholt AHO. In the Radials, Juan Perdomo PUR was first followed by Philippine Van Aanholt AHO and Peter Seidenberg USA. The report and the results.

It is the season of Bargain Sales right now in most of the places around the world. Why not participate in a very special auction taking place from today Jan 17 until Feb 3 to upgrade your sailing equipment?

Two teams financed by billionaires ('Oracle' and 'Artemis'), two team struggling to finance the Challenge ('Team NZL' and 'Luna Rossa') and six challengers sailing in the AC-45 World Series that have not yet paid the entry fee and with some doubts regarding their upholding the challenge. That is the real situation of the 34th America's Cup Challenge.
A deal struck with 'Luna Rossa' will help 'Team New Zealand' compete against the eye-watering budgets of the billionaire-funded America's Cup teams. The Italian team's arrival in Auckland this week marks the beginning of the first formal collaboration between two teams in 160 years of the America's Cup. Over the next 12 months the two teams will work closely together, first sailing in SL33 prototypes, which ETNZ unveiled this week, and post-July in their newly launched AC72. Read the details in today's article in the NZ Herald.

Winner of part one of the third leg of the Volvo Ocean Race, a 100 miles' sprint race from Abu Dab Sharjah, sailed in perfect conditions, was again - as at the Inport Race of Friday - Ian Walker GBR and his team on 'Abu Dabi' who overtook the Spanish 'Telefonica' two miles before the finish line. No change in the overall rankings, where 'Telefonica' remains on top ahead of 'Camper' and 'Groupama'. The five yachts are about to be loaded on a cargo ship to be transported to the secret starting place on the Indian Ocean, from where the race will head for the Chinese holiday island Sanya CHN. The report and the video of the day.

Two races by class were sailed yesterday on the penultimate day of the Paralympic Classes Worlds in a well established 3-4 bft breeze. The Sonar World Champions are already known, as Alexander Wang-Hansen/Marie Solberg/Per-Eugen Kristiansen NOR - with an 11 points lead - cannot be passed by the second-ranked John Robertson GBR and his team. Bruno Jourdren FRA and his team are 3rd, but four teams within 4 points fight for the Bronze medal . Damien Séguin FRA has a safe lead of 9 points on Thierry Schmitter NED, who - together with Paul Tingley CAN and another three points back Heiko Kröger GER will fight for the other medals. In the Skud-18, Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birell GBR are 4 points ahead of Daniel Fitzgibbon/Liesl Tresch AUS, and another point behind Jennifer French/Jean-Paul Creignou USA. All results, the video and the report.

Five races were sailed so far at the 470 North American Championship with a number of top teams from Europe also. Sven and Kalle Coster NED lead two points ahead of McNay/Biehl USA, followed by Schmid/Reichstädter AUT on 3rd at some distance already. Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED on the 6th place are the best-ranked female team. The results and the report.

Today is day one of the Key West Race-Week 2012, with a number of one-design and handicap yacht classes. 122 teams are on the entry list, and as always, a number of well known names from the Olympic sailing circuit, the America's Cup or the Volvo Ocean Race are among the crews. The event-website and a preview.

The Swiss Ice-Sailing season will be initiated with the Swiss Championship on Lake de Joux, provided there will be enought ice. Up to now, the warm winter prevented most lake in central and even in nothern Europe from freezing. End of January, the DN sled World- and European Championships are on the program with Germany as organisers. The venue has not yet been published, as the ice situation is fully open for the moment. In North America on the other hand, activity has successfully started, e.g. at the Great Western Challenge, where over 70 DN sleds participated. An excellently edited video transmits the ice sailing groove, and demonstrated also how easily the basics of ice sailing can be learned.

This year again, some Laser sailors from the Northern Hemisphere enjoy the excellent conditions at Cabrete with sun, wind and waves, taking part in the Caribbean Championship. Julio Alsogaray ARG is on top in the Lasers Standard in front of Michele Regolo ITA. In the Radials, Juan Perdomo DOM is first followed by Philip Van Aanholt AHO and Peter Seidenberg USA. The results and the report.

Ian Walker GBR and his 'Abu Dabi Team' were the winners of the Inport Race to the excitement of the local public. Second and third in the light wind race were 'Groupama' and 'Camper', while the overall leader 'Telefonica' finished last. The overall rankings remain unchanged. The report and the video of the Inport Race. The start of leg 3 direction Sanya CHN will be given today at 10 a.m. UCT. Part one will be a 100 miles' race to the mouth of the Gulf of Arabia. Online live transmission will be on the Internet.

Another light wind day witha 5-8 kn breeze allowed for a reduced program with two races only. Alexander Wang-Hansen NOR and his team were the dominators of the Sonars and clearly took the overall lead with two bullets. Bruno Jourdren FRA descended on rank 4. In the 2.4mR, Damien Séguin FRA extended his lead on Thierry Schmitter NED to 8 points. The best of the day was Helena Lucas finishing 1 and 2, climbing on the 4th position overall with the same number of points as Heiko Kröger GER as 5th. Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birell GBR extended their lead in the Skud-18 on 5 points. All results, the report and the video of the day.

During the final race of the 2012 Australian Youth Championships on Tuesday, 10 January 2012, the 29er crew Tess Lloyd was severely injured at her head in a collision with a Techno293 windsurfer. After surgery at the hospital yesterday, she is now in an induced coma to provide her the best conditions for recovery. The report.

The five finishers of leg 2 start this morning at 10 a.m. UCT to the Inport Race in Abi Dhabi in light winds, a race that will last about 60 minutes and can be followed on the Internet live. The start to the short first part of leg 3 will be given on Saturday, leading to the mouth of the Gulf of Arabia, form where the yachts will be transported by cargo vessel to the secret starting place on the Indian Ocean for part two of leg three to Sanya CHN gestartet wird. The preview.

Circling and unconstant winds made sailing difficult yesterday at the Paralympic Classes World Championship, and leader changes happened in all three fleets. Damien Séguin FRA is now on top of the 2.4mR, four points ahead of Thierry Schmitter NED. Paul Tingley CAN is now 3rd, Heiko Kröger GER 4th. John Robertson/Hannah Stodel/Steve Thomas GBR led in the Sonars two points in front of Alexander Wang-Hansen NOR and his team. Bruno Jourdren FRA follows on rank 3. Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birell GBR are now on top of the Skud-18. The results and the report with video.

The Australian Foiler-Moth National Championship ended this morning with the races 11 & 12. Men of the day was the World Champion Nathan Outteridge AUS climbing on rank 3 overall with two bullets. Rob Gough AUS and Scott Babbage AUS sailed safely too and remained out of reach for Outteridge. Peter Burling NZL on the 4th place missed the podium by 3 points. The results and the short report with videos.

In line with the ISAF Youth Sailing World Championship, the European Sailing Federation EUROSAF has announced that from this year on an annual EUROSAF Youth Sailing European Championship will take place. The first edition will be organised in Aarhus DEN in August. The event-website and the communiqué.

'Artemis', the Swedish Challenger of Record for the 34th America's Cup has started to construct the 72-foot-AC-catamaran, designed by Juan Kouyoumidijian ARG. In early December, the Valencian ship-yard King Marine relocated a portion of its work force to the Artemis Racing operations base near Gothenburg, Sweden, to be in line with the requirements of the Deed of Gift for a national construction. 'Artemis Racing’ represents the Royal Swedish Yacht Club / Kungliga Svenska Segel Sällskapet (KSSS). The report.

As announced, the rain front brought a 15 kn breeze with 20 kn in the gusts, and the Paralympic classes sailed three races each yesterday. The new leader in the 2.4mR is Thierry Schmitter NED, day ranks 1, 2 and 3, with a 7 points lead on Heiko Kröger GER. Only one point behind the German is the Paralympic Champion Paul Tingley CAN. Racing for a medal is also Damien Séguin FRA on rank 4 after the discarded result. In the smallest fleet, the Skud 18 with only 8 boats, the leaders are Jennifer French/Jean-Paul Creignou USA one point ahead of Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birrell GBR. Tightly packed are the leading teams in the Sonars with John Twomey IRL and his team tied on top together with Alexander Wang-Hansen NOR. Bruno Jourdren FRA folllows only one point behind. The results, the report and the .video of the day

The second half of the Moth Australian Nationals resumed this morning after the lay day in a slightly lighter breeze with two races. With the day ranks 1 and 2 is Scott Babbage AUS now only two points from the leading Rob Gough AUS. Peter Burling NZL, Andrew McDougall AUS and Nathan Outteridge AUS tied on rank 3 follow at a certain distance. The rankings and the video of day 3, well demonstrating how difficult flying in the big waves avoiding nose dives is.

ISAF has published the new Olympic Classes World Ranking Lists at the upbeat of the Olympic year 2012. New leaders are on top of the RS:X-Women windsurfers where Bryony Shaw GBR replaced Marina Alabau ESP on rank 1, in the Starboats Scheidt/Prada BRA are now ahead of Negri/Voltolini ITA, in the Lasers Radial with Evi Van Acker BEL as first, in the 470 women with Clarke/Hughes GBR and in the 49erw with Töft-Nielsen/Töft-Nielsen DEN. The ISAF report and all rankings.

The winner of the World Match Racing Tour and World Champion Ian Williams GBR is now again on top of the Match Race men rankings, followed by the rookie of the year Francesco Bruni ITA.
Anna Tunnicliffe USA remains on top in the Olympic Match Race women followed by Lucy Mcgregor GBR and Claire Leroy FRA. The ISAF report.

Another interview with Ben Ainslie GBR on his future plans in theTelegraph.

Etchells World Champion Bill Hardesty (San Diego, Calif.) and ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Sailing World Champion Anna Tunnicliffe (Plantation, Fla.) yesterday were named US Sailing’s 2011 Rolex Yachtsman and Yachtswoman of the Year. A shortlist of eight male and seven female sailors – determined from nominations submitted by members of US Sailing – was evaluated by a panel of sailing journalists who selected these two sailors for the noteworthy distinction. The winners will be honored on February 22, 2012, during a luncheon at the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, when they will be presented with specially-engraved Rolex timepieces. The US Sailing Press Release.

The Paralympic Classes World Championship began yesterday in Florida in light winds, and only the One-Person Keelboat 2.4mR could sail two races on an inshore course. The Skuds and Sonars had their races postponed to today, when a passing bad weather front promises good sailing conditions. The Paralympic Champion Paul Tingley CAN took the lead with two race wins on day one, already 5 points ahead of Lasse Klötzing GER. Heiko Kröger GER follows as third, while one of the top favorites, Damien Séguin FRA, remains on the 13th position with the day ranks OCS and 2. The www.regattatech.com/scoring/action/showResultsRoster?clubCode=CHR&eventCode=IFDSWorlds12&divisionName=all]results[/url] and the report.

Challenging conditions prevailed on day three of the Australian Moth Nationals with even more wind of up to 20 and big waves. Only two thirds of the 42 participants crossed the finish line. The big-breeze specialist Rob Gough AUS extended his lead with the day ranks 1 and 2, with Scott Babbage AUS as runner-up 3 points behind, while the defending champion Nathan Outteridge AUS is on 3rd with a 6 points' backlog. Moderate winds have been announced for the second part of the Championship after today's lay day, conditions favoring Nathan Outteridge AUS as well as one of his main opponents in the Olympic 49er circuit Peter Burling NZL now on rank 5. The results, the report and the video of day 2.

The four-times Olympic medalist and Finn dominator for some years already announced at a press conference yesterday, that he will join the America's Cup after the Olympics 2012. He will be ready to join the Cup Defender 'Team Oracle' by 2013, and up to then, he will race in the America's Cup World Series (where 'Oracle' is already participating with two teams) with his own team 'Ben Ainslie Racing' defending the colours of the English Royal Cornwall Yacht Club with the long-term goal to become a challenger of the America's Cup with this team. Articles in the Independent and Sail World on the press conference including an Ainslie/Coutts video clip.

Read an interesting comment by Richard Gladwell in Sailing World and the respective Jury Decision.

The five finishers of leg two are in Abu Dhabi preparing the forthcoming Inport Race of next Saturday and the start to the third leg of Sunday. 'Team Sanya' resumed racing after the repair of the rig and is on the way to the 'unknown' finish line in the Indian Ocean and subsequently to the start of the second half of leg two, to bring Mike Sanderson NZL and his team to the start of leg three, leading to the home port Sanya CHN. The event-website

Very windy conditions and big waves prevailed on the first two days of the Australian Moth National Championship. After four races, the 'heavy weight' Rob Gouh AUS is leading ahead of Scott Babbage AUS and Nathan Outteridge AUS. The latter just finished the A-Cat Nationals last Saturday as Vice-Champion. 39 Foiler-Moths from 4 nations participate. The report and the resultse.

The Australian Sailing Federation has announced the first names of the Olympic Squad 2012, a mighty group of sailors and definitely among the favorites in their classes, consisting of the reigning World Champions Belcher/Page (470), Outteridge/Jensen (49er) and Tom Slingsby (Laser). On the team list is also the Woman Windsurfer Jessica Crisp. The detailed article in Sail World.

Winter sail racing continued over the past weekend - after the Hallwil New Year's Regatta - with act two of the Challenge d'Hiver, organised by the CV Vidy on Lake Geneva. Only half of the entrants appeared on the starting line on these cold winter days, but 11 boats sailed finally with the Esse 850 'Yoda' of Hubert Detrey winning in category A and the Surprise 'Grrrr..' of Tim Genet as first in the category B. The results.

Maritime NZ are reporting this morning that the 130metre stern section of the MV ‘Rena’ is reported to be slipping off the Astrolabe Reef. They have previously stated that if this happens they expect the section to sink, following up the section breaking off over the weekend. The two sections that were shown as visibly cracked, split in two, and were reported to be 30 meters apart. That break up released cargo, containers and oil - a situation that will be repeated if the stern section sinks. Of concern to the sailing community is the fact that the Volvo Ocean Race fleet will pass down the east coast of the North Island in two months time. Many of the containers are not accounted for from the ‘Rena’, and have either sunk or are still in varying degrees of submersion. The article with a video clip in Sail World.

Little wind and a strong current made sailing impossible on the last day of the Optimist World Championship, and therefore, the title goes to the Singapore girl Kimberley Lim SIN without a final countdown. Bart Lambriex NED, part time leader during the event, finished 2nd two points behind after an impressive Championship, and Javier Arribas PER follows another three points back on 3rd. 210 participants from 48 nations.
Optimist sailors from four continents finished among the top-10, a great demonstration for world-wide sailing ! What other sports have such a global representation ! And there are still doom prophets in ISAF Committees predicting the ban of sailing from the Olympics ! Never, as long as world-wide practiced events in affordable equipment instead of ivory-tower concepts destroying well-established classes are selected. The final rankings, the report and the video.

The Yngling-Worlds 2012 in Sydney ended yesterday with the windiest two races of this championship. Two 5th places were enough for Maarten Jamin/Jaap Smolders/Menno Berens NED to successfully defend the title and with Tom Otte NED and his team on rank 2, the Dutch success was perfect. The looser of the day was Michael Nash AUS dropping from rank 1 to rank 3. 49 teams from 9 nations participated. The rankings and the final report.

The maxi-trimaran 'Banque Populaire' with Loïck Peyron FRA improved the round-the-world-non-stop record by over 2 days on 45 days and 13 hours. See the video of the arrival last Saturday.

Tomorrow begin the World Championhips of the Paralympic classes 2.4mR (One-person keelboat), Skud-18 (2-person keelboat) and Sonars (3-person keelboat) in Florida. 42 yachts including all medalists from the last Paralympics participate. The event-website and a preview.

Only on Sunday, the breeze allowed the 51-boat-fleet from 7 nations to sail. After two races, it was Argyle Campbell USA who won the series ahead of Dressel USA and Andreadis GRE. See the complete results.

Three World Championships ended over the past weekend in Oceania, the Fireballs and Ynglings in Australia, and the Optimists in New Zealand. See our reports of Saturday, Sunday and today. And not to forget the spectacle of the 18- and 12-foot skiffs (see video) in Auckland, and especially also the Australian A-Cat Championship with big names from the Olympic Sailing circuit and the America's Cup among the participants, the best attended Australian Nationals, with Glenn Ashby AUS winning ahead of Nathan Outteridge AUS. Read all detailed reports (and more) below.

Racing began late in the afternoon yesterday and in a 5 - 8 kn breeze, all three fleets completed two races. After 8 heats sailed so far, Bart Lambriex NED is the leader 8 points ahead of the best of the day Ahmad Syukri Abdul Aziz MAS and Javier Arribas PER at equal points. Kimberly Lim SIN on rank 4 is the best girl of the 210 participants. This morning at press time, the 3rd race was under way. Fresh winds of up to 30 had been forecast. The news-blog informs continuously on the activities. The results will be published around noon UCT. Check also the excellent video of the day.

4-5 bft and exciting races yesterday on the last day of the Fireball Worlds 2012. Winning race one of the day, Inns/Coultas AUS were tied with Gillard/Brearey GBR on top of the rankings, and the final decision was left to the last race. After several position changes, the English Tom Gillard/Sam Breary GBR finished the championship one point ahead of Robin Inns/Joel Coultas AUS. The Bronze medal went to Greg Allison/Richard Watson AUS. The results and the final report.

The situation is full of suspense on the last day of the Yngling-World Championship. M. Maarten Jamin NED took over the lead again but Michael Nash AUS on rank 2 has the same number of points. Even the immediate chasers Hamish Jarett AUS and Tom Otte NED still have chances for the title with backlogs of 6 and 7 points. The results, the report and the event-website.

Confused by the time lag, we did not realise that yesterday's results were already the final rankings of the Skiff Series in Auckland. With two wins on the last day, Press/Stevenson AUS are the winners at the Interdominions in the 12-Foot Skiffs. At the Mark Foy Trophy of the 18-FootSkiffs, Howie Hamlin USA was lacking two points to overtake Alex Vallings AUS after the last races. The reports and the video of the day.