News

This morning at 3 h UCT, 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP crossed the finish line of leg 3, sailed in two parts from Abu Dhabi to Male, and from Male to Sanya, as first, having now won all three legs of the Volvo Ocean Race so far. 'Groupama' with Franck Cammas FRA as second is expected around 6 a.m. The race for rank 3 between 'Camper' and 'Puma', separated by 14 miles only 100 miles before the arrival, is still open. The report and the videos.

Three races were completed this morning UCT on day one of the 'Sail Auckland' Olympic and Youth Classes event, where Olympic dinghies, 420s and 29ers, as well as the Paralympic 2.4mR, Skud-18, Access and Liberty are on the entry lists, mostly with a majority of teams coming from New Zealand. Good international participation is in the Lasers and the RS:X-Windsurfers. In the RS:X-men, Richard Stauffacher SUI leads in front of the World Champion Dorian Van Rijsselberge NED, in the Lasers Standard, Andrew Murdoch NZL was the winner of all three race. On rank 2 and 3 overall are Andy Malone NZL and Jee Min Ha KOR. Sarah Winter NZL is on top of the Lasers Radial. All results and the event-website and the report.

The teams ranked 1 - 6 after the first Round Robin qualified yesterday for the next elimination, a Double Round Robin, to select the four semi-finalists. As evident already yesterday, Silja Lehtinen FIN 8-0 is on a solid path to the semis in today's duels with Tamara Echegoyen ESP, Silke Hahlbrock GER, Dekleva Paoli SLO 5-3 each, as well as Martina Silva ARG and Lotte Meldgaard DEN 4-4 each. The results. There is a live coverage available.

In spite of the wintery weather - the Côte d'Azur was covered by snow during last night making it a 'White Coast' -, the Primo Cup I in Monaco is attended by good fleets in most of the classes. Sun and a 10 kn breeze with gusts up to 18 kn prevailed yesterday, and three races by class were sailed. Jens Ahlgrimm GER is on rank one in the Platu 25, having won all three heats. Anatoly Loginov RUS has taken the lead in the Dragons. Ian Ilsley MON and his team are on top of the J/24 and Filippo Orlando/Olivier Terrol MON are the leaders in the Starboats. Once more the largest fleet, the Surprise class (23 teams), is dominated by the Swiss. Arnaud Psarophagis SUI and his team are one point ahead of Gastone Farolfi SUI 2nd and Jerôme Clerc SUI 3rd. All ranking lists and the report (f).

The North American Laser Radial Championships began yesterday with three races. Paige Railey USA holds already a strong lead with the day ranks 2/1/1 followed by Erika Reineke USA and Sarah Lihan USA. 29 entrants on the starting list. The results.

Heavy snowfalls in Sweden impacted the organisation of the European Championship excessively. After the bad luck with the World Championship - Tomasz Zakrszewski winning after only three heats due to lack of wind (we reported yesterday) -, the continental championship had even to be cancelled, as there is too much snow on the ice surface of the Swedish lakes. The short report.

The Finns sail their North American Championship at the same venue and time as the Lasers Radial in Fort Lauderdale. Martin Robitaille CAN and Greg Douglas CAN are good for a Canadian double lead ahead of Brendan Casey AUS on rank 3. Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN, the only European in the 15 boats' Finn fleet is on position 15. The results.

After Ross and Campbell Field NZL, forced to abandon yesterday with a damaged rig and loss of the automatic pilot, the then second-ranked Halvard Mabire FRA/Miranda Merron GBR have also decided to retire from the third leg and are heading back to New Zealand. The extraordinary weather conditions with a 50 kn easterly headwind probably force the teams to sail in extreme hard conditions upwind in a rough sea until the Cape Horn. Carefully evaluating this situation, the French-British duo decided to abandon for rational seamanship grounds. Colman NZL/Kuttel RSA remain now lonely on top on the way to the Cape Horn. The report.

Yesterday, sailing in a rear wind around 20 kn, Hervé Cahnu FRA/Christophe Péclard SUI with their 'ThinkAnalytic' took the lead in the 71 boats' two-person fleet, but their advance on Pintos/Lemière ESP/FRA is only 0.7 miles. Leader change also with the 26 solo skippers, where Alexandre Peraud FRA has already a 17 miles' lead. The race-viewer. Back in the fleet, the Italian 'Cymba' team had to be rescued by some other competitors when their yacht began to sink after a collision with an unknown floating object. The report and the event-website.

The DN Ice Sailing World Championship was decided yesterday after three heats. The new World Champion is Tomasz Zakrzsewski POL, Silver and Bronze go to Karl-Hannes Tagu EST and Hans Ebler GER. Ron Sherry USA flopped the first race and finished 5th at the end. The multiple World Champion and America's Cup helmsman Karol Jablonski POL is only 42nd. 185 participants. The results.
Today begins the European Championship at the new venue Multorp SWE.

The 470 Junior World Championships at Takapuna NZL ended a few minutes ago with the Medal Races. Simon Sivitz/Jas Farneti ITA had their first place secured already after the 10 fleetraces, ahead of Turner/Drummond NZL. The suspense was on rank 3 where finally Pelisson/Rossi FRA were successful winning Bronze. The the top-10 results 470 men and the results ranks 11-21 after the sail-off race.
The new 470 female Junior World Champions are Afrodite Kyranakou/Jeske Kisters NED, but winning the Medal Race, Annika Bochmann/Elisabeth Pansuchka GER finished only three points behind. The Bronze Medal went to Anna Burnet/Flora Stewart GBR. The 470 women final rankings.
The event-website will be updated with the final report and images during this morning UCT.

The leader 'Telefonica' had 320 miles left to the Chinese holiday island Sanya this morning after another 24 hours' upwind sailing in a 25 kn breeze with a steep 3 m wave. In the final approach to the finish, the wind will somewhat diminish, and the gaps between the boats will shrink again. Nothing is decided yet for 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) 23 miles in front of 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA). 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL), 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) and 'Abu Dhabi' (Ian WalkerGBR) follow within 50 miles from the Spanish. The estimatied time of arrival is tomorrow Saturday by noon. The race-viewer, the reports and the videos.

Two third of the Round Robin was completed yesterday on day one of the Olympic Qualification Regatta at Key Biscayne, where the last three berths for the 2012 Olympics are at stake. Qualified for the semi finals is already Silja Lehtinen FIN with a 5-0 score, and good chance to advance further have Tamara Echegoyen ESP and Vesna Dekleva SLO with 4-1 each. The results and the event-website.

The Roaring Forties took a toll in wind-speeds around 45-50 kn: After crashing off a monstrous wave in the Southern Ocean, Global Ocean Race leaders Ross and Campbell Field have suffered damage to their yacht and are heading back to New Zealand. Crashing down into the trough behind the wave, all the wind instruments were wiped off the top of the mast. Ross Field was flung across the boat, injuring his back. The loss of the wind instruments is a major blow, because it means their autopilots cannot function. The boat instantly spun out of control and crash gybed. To carry on with Leg 3 of the race would have meant hand-steering the boat nearly 6,000 miles through some of the most hostile conditions on the planet, round Cape Horn and up to Uruguay. A report in Sail World and the event-website.

Today begins the first round of the Monaco Primo-Cup, traditionally an early spring event in the mild climate of the Côte d'Azur, but for once, it is quite different. The temperatures are around the freezing point and in the past days, snow flakes came down at sea-level. The pictures. Light winds will probably prevail, but on Saturday, snow has been forecast again. The event-website without entry lists for the moment. Question mark: 'Who will show up ?',

After 6 days underway direction Martinique, the fleet is about to be stretched more and more. Leader in the 28 boats' solo skipper fleet remains Philippe Vicariot FRA, but the first place in the two-person teams goes now to Jesus Pino/Grégoire Le Maire ESP/FRA. Team of the day were Hervé Cahnu FRA/Christophe Péclard SUI advancing on rank 4 only 10 miles behind the leaders. The Race-Viewer und die event-website.

Simon Sivitz/Jas Farneti ITA are the new 470 Junior World Champions, as today's races have been cancelled due to lack of wind, and their advantage on the second-ranked of 22 points cannot be compensated in tomorrow's Medal Race. With 8 wins in 10 races, their victory is really outstanding. The Silver medal is pratically already in the hands of James Turner/Finn Drummond NZL, as their 17 points lead over the 3rd Dirk Bennen/Rogier Weijers NED is a comfortable cushion. The race for the Bronze medal however is open, as Crawford/Crawford AUS, Masilge/Klingenberger GER and Rossi/Pelisson FRA follow closely behind.
The advantage of the 470 Women's fleet leaders Kyranakou/Kisters NED on the second Bochmann/Panuschka GER is 7 points. The results and the event-website with yesterday's report and video. The no-race-video of todav has already been posted.

Meanwhile, the northerly breeze on the South Chinese Sea has increased to 25 kn, somewhat less than previously announced. The leading 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) and 10 miles behind also 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA), still sailing on an upwind leg, have reached the Vietnam coast. 'Puma' (Ken Rad USA), 100 miles behind, has been the only ones to go for an attack, trying a premature easterly course. Less current and a 30°-windshift to the East could pay off and bring the Americans closer to the leaders. There remain 500 miles, or roughly two days, to go the the port of destination. The race-viewer, the Berichte and the videos.

After two days' waiting for wind, the first races were finally sailed yesterday. The 185 sleds from 18 nations are split into four fleets. The B, C and D fleets completed one heat each yesterday, whereas the A-fleet - the fleet racing for the DN World and European title - has no race in the books. Favorites for the titles are Ron Sherry USA and Karol Jablonski POL. Winner in the B-Fleet yesterday was Dag Lindström SWE followed by Martin Aljaste ... and Michael Obermaier GER. The results and the official short report.

Today, the Women Match Race teams begin the their second Olympic nation berth qualification event where the three remaining slots for the 2012 Olympics are at stake. Eight nations have the tickets based on the results of the ISAF 2011 ISAF World Championship in Perth of December. Among the 9 teams competing for a selection on the Key Biscayne waters is Silija Lehtinen FIN, who - after a successful season - surprisingly is not yet qualified. Others with good chances for a place are Tamara Echegoyen ESP and Lotte Meldgaard-Pedersen DEN. The preview with the entry list.

ISAF has published the list of boats applying for an Olympic status for the new events Women's Skiff and Mixed Mulithull yesterday, In early March, the trials will be run off Santandér at the Northern Coast of Spain. Whilst the entry list of the catamarans contains classes sailed in a number of nations world-wide (Hobie 16, Hobie Tiger, Viper, Nacra 16 & 17 and the Tornado, the only 18 foot multi), the Women's Skiff has to be invented first. (Didn't the IOC charter speak of sports actively practiced in x-number of nations??). The classes applying are hardly known and the most cited candidate, the 29erXX, never succeeded to have more than a handful of boats on the starting lines during the past four years. The RS 800 has been modified to fit into the ISAF requirements. The ISAF report with the complete list of candidates.

The New Zealand father/son duo Ross & Campbell Field NZL regained the lead after having chosen a more Southern route. They sail actually on the 48th parallel, in an atypical upwind course direction Cape Horn. The first three yachts are still closely together with Colman NZL/Kuttel RSA 8 miles and Mabire FRA/Merron GBR 22 miles behind. The report.

Some changes happened in the top ranks of the ISAF World Ranking Lists after the Miami Worldcup event. Delle-Karth/Resch AUT are back on the first place of the 49ers, as are also Blanca Manchon ESP in the RS:X women windsurfers and Tara Pacheco/Berta Betanzos ESP in the 470 women. The ISAF report and all ranking lists.

Races 9 and 10 were sailed today in Takapuna in a moderate breeze from the shore, with Sivitz/Farneti ITA confirming their superiority finishing 1 and 6. Turner/Drummond NZL remain the runner-up. But for the first time, another team - Dirk Bennen/Rogier Weijers NED - booked the best ranks of the day with a 1st and 3rd place, that brought them on the 3rd position overall.
The same consistency as the Italians demonstrate Afrodite Kyranakou/Jeske Kisters NED in the women's fleet, finishing in nine of ten races in the ranks 1 or 2. Their advantage over Annika Bochmann/Elisbeth Panuschka GER is now 7 points.
The results and the event-website with videos and reports.

Yesterday on their way North, the fleet passed the Indonesian Natuna Islands - 272 individual isles - in a light breeze. The leading duo 'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) and 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA), sailing within a 4 miles distance, have now left their opponents clearly behind. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) is already 58 miles back. The Northern Monsoon winds are now freshening up more and more, and the rough part of leg three is awaiting the teams soon. The leading duo is 790 miles from the Sanya Island CHN or approximately 2 days and a half. The race-viewer, the reports and the videos.

The second day without wind at the DN-Worlds and Europeans in Sweden, and the over 200 participants from 18 nations had to be patient another 24 hours. But the wind forecast for today seems more favorable, and hopefully, the DN-sleds will be activated. A short report and the Internaional DN Class website.

In early January, we reported on the 400 miles journey of Yvan Bourgnon SUI and Sébastien Roubinet FRA around Cape Horn. On their tiny 6 meter Nacra 20 catamaran, they sailed passing glaciers and rocks in a breeze of up to 50 kn that even forced them to seek the shelter of an island for a moment. The 5-minute video transmits an impression on this incredible tour. The next project of the Swiss offshore sailor is a nonstop solo round-the-globe premiere on a trimaran 'in the wrong direction' from East to West.

A depression with 40-50 kn winds is approaching the fleet from the East making the direct course to the Cape Horn difficult. The first boats with the leading Ross and Campbell Field NZL as initiators have now gibed southwards to avoid the big blast. This move has cost them the lead for the moment, and Mabire FRA/Merron GBR are momentarily on rank 1. The event-website.

The Kuhn Sailing Center GmbH (Kuhn Sails) at Lake Constance is as from now on exclusively in charge of developing, designing and producing the famous US Ullman sails. Dieter Kuhn has contracted the license rights for Switzerland, the Southern part of Germany and Austria. Kuhn Sailing offers the full line of products and services, including the Ullman Sails 'FiberPath Technology, One-Design Sails and the Racing- and
Cruising Lines of Ullman Sails. The Press Release.

After 4 days racing, high pressure cell with little to no wind has spread the 71 two-person teams and the 28 solo sailors over a large area. Some try to circumvent the lulls going South, other stick to the direct route hoping for a breeze filling in soon again. Jean-Louis Goblet/Catherine Adam FRA in the doubles and Philippe Vicariot FRA with the solo sailors are the interims liaders. The Swiss teams occupy the ranks 15 (Chanu/Péclard FRA/SUI), 45 (Buntschu/Racenet SUI) and 59 (Guillet/Riond SUI). The race-viewer and the report of the day.

Three race days are still ahead, but the decision for the title seems to be more than obvious. Whatever the conditions are: Simon Sivitz/Jas Farneti ITA dominate the fleet in an outstanding way, having won 7 of the 8 races sailed so far. Taylor/Drummond NZL and Crawford/Crawford AUS remain on the ranks 2 and 3, but Pelisson/Rossi FRA are coming from behind and are now already on the 4th position.
In the 470 Girls, Afrodite Kyranakou/Jeske Kisters NED are still on the first place with Annika Bochmann/Elisabeth Panuschka GER now on the 2nd rank after a race win yesterday.
The results and the daily report of yesterday, to be updated today aroung 9 a.m. UCT. In addition, a video of the third race day is available.

Yesterday, the fleet passed Singapore and is now in the South Chinese Sea. Roughly five days on an upwind course in a freshening monsoon breeze are ahead of the teams before the port of call on the holiday island Sanya is reached, and especially in the final approach, in a 30 kn wind and rough waves, will be extremely challenging.
'Groupama' with Franck Cammas FRA is the leader this morning already heading North. 'Puma' (Ken Read USA) on rank 2 is 4.1 miles, 'Telefonica' as third 5 miles behind 'Groupama'. The race-viewer, the reports and the videos.

Sun and -10°C temperatures, but no wind, awaited the DN-sailors yesterday at the World- and European Championships on Lake Hjälmaren. The wind forecast is not any better today and most probably, the first races will be started on Wednesday only. The Swedish television covered the event with a first film report with a.o. an interview with the multiple World Champion Ron Sherry USA, one of the favorites for the title, as is also the America's Cup helmsman Karol Jablonski POL. A short report.

Three of the regattas counting for the Australian 18-foot-Skiff Championship, sailed over past weekends, suffered under rather light winds. On the last Sunday however, the breeze was there for the last event, and the smaller rigs were in use for the first time. Winning this race, 'Thurlow, Fisher Laywers' with Michael Coxon/Aaron Links/Trent Barnabas AUS took the title and are now the declared favorites for the JJ Giltinan-Trophy, the inofficial 18-footer World Championship, beginning on February 16th. The report and the video.

A video of 15 minutes summarizes the Optimist World Championship completed in early January in New Zealand. Sailed mostly in moderate condition, the event was dominated by Singapore sailor winning the individual title with Kimberly Lim SIN as well as the team race title. The video.

Last Sunday, the five two-person teams remaining in the Global Ocean Race started for leg 3, leading from Wellington NZL around Cape Horn to Punta del Este URU. The race began in a spectacular way with a 30 kn breeze prevailing, and the leading trio Mabire/Merron FRA/GBR, Field/Field NZL and Conrad Colman NZL, now sailing with Adrian Kuttel RSA, has already some advance on the elder generation Class 40s. After several position changes, it was Ross and Campbell Field NZL taking a 2 miles' lead this morning at 2 hours UCT. The race-viewer, the reports and the video of the start.

The 70 two-person teams and the 29 solo-sailors participating in the Transatlantic Race for Corinthian sailor over age 40 advance in good sailing condition direction West. Leader with the solo sailors is Philippe Vicariot FRA, in the doubles, the team Jean-Louis Goblet/Catherine Adam FRA is on top.
The positions,the reports and the video of the start.

A light seabreeze around 5 kn prevailed today, replacing the fresh winds of the previous days, but nevertheless, the clear winners of both races were again Simon Sivitz/Jas Farneti ITA. Their advantage over Turner/Drummond NZL and Crawford/Crawford AUS on the ranks 2 and 3 is now already 15 points. Kyranakou/Keisters NED (today with ranks 1 and 2) remain on top of the women's rankings, followed by Burnett/Stewart GBR new on 2nd and Bochmann/Panuschka GER 3rd. The results and the report of yesterday.

The Malacca Strait is as difficult as expected: Light and unconstant winds, an extreme ship traffic (sometimes with as many as 50 signals on the radar screen), part of them unlighted fisherman's boats as well as loads of thrash (see report) demand the highest attention of the sailors. 'Puma' hit a tree and took a chunk out of their dagger board.
'Telefonica' (Iker Martinez ESP) and 1,5 miles behind 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA) have now a slight advantage on the third-ranked 'Puma' 17,5 miles back. Today, the first five teams will pass Singapore and divert North on the Chinese Sea. 'Team Sanya' (Mike Sanderson NZL), 150 miles behind 'Telefonica', will spend a day more sailing in the Malacca Strait. The race-viewer, the reports and the videos.

The Opening Ceremony and first trainings took place yesterday on Lake Hjämaren near Oerebro SWE, where the DN World- and European Championships are taking place. With only 0.5 cm of snow and moderate winds around 12 kn, the conditions are good. Over 200 participants from 18 nations will start to the first qualificartion races today. Unfortunately, the entry list is not yet available. Here the official report and the website of the British Team.

Positive statements from the Laser Radial sailor Nathalie Brugger SUI after the Miami World Cup Regatta last week (see also the report in yesterday's Sailing-News) in the latest edition her Newsletter. Finishing 6th, she was again in the World Cup points. With the firm intension to close the gap to the actual dominators of the Class until the Olympics, she intensifies the trainings, and already from next Wednesday on, she will again be on the water in Mexico.
Not to forget, that also Marazzi/De Maria on rank 6 and Niklaus/Strube SUI 18ht in the Starboats were in the Wordl Cup point in Miami.

Beside the rankings of the Laser Europacup, the International Laser Class initiated last year an European Youth Ranking including the World and European Championships 2011. Alex Barton-Mills GBR won the Laser Standards (U21), Constanze Stolz GER topped all Radial women rankings (U21, U19, U17), the Radial Boys saw Elliott Hansen GBR (U19) and Maxim Nikolaev RUS (U17) on first place. The Laser 4.7 Girls was won by Kim Pletikos SLO (Girls U18) and Athanasia Fakidi GRE (Girls U16). The 4.7 Boys were won by the Swiss Sébastien Schneiter SUI (U18) and Nils Theuninck SUI (U16). All rankings 2011.

The 29er team Sandra Giovanoli and Stephan Zurfluh from Stäfa was nominated as team of the year 2011 from Lake Zurich. With this award they are honoured for their 7th place at last year's 29er Worlds sailed in Locarno SUI. Laser sailor Cyrill Knecht was honoured as best junior. The report (PDF) with the names of all winners.

The Medal Races yesterday took place in light and fickle winds, and while the winners in most classes were practically known before the race, the remaining podium places mostly were still contested.
Matthew Belcher/Malcom Page AUS were the uncontested winners in the 470-men in front of Coster/Coster NED and Kampouridis/Papadopoulos GRE. The victory of Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED in the 470 women was also clear prematurely, with Mills/Clarke GBR and Weguelin/Ainsworth GBR taking Silver and Bronze. Given winners were also Delle-Karth/Resch AUT in the 49ers, and Storck/Moore USA had to content themselves with rank 2 despite of winning the Medal Race. Lehtinen/Bask FIN finished third. Zach Railey USA dominated the Finns during the whole event winning with a large advance on Jonas Hoegh-Nielsen DEN. Greg Douglas CAN jumped on rank 3 in the last race. The Starboat Medal Race was completely open, but the reigning World Champions Robert Scheidt/Bruno Prada BRA were once more unbeatable. The past World Champion Xavier Rohart FRA with Pierre-Alexis Ponsot FRA as crew won the last race and climbed on rank 2 overall just before Melleby/Pedersen NOR, while another World Champion, Lööf/Salminen SWE, dropped out of the medals on rank 4. The winner of the Women Match-Race was Lucy McGregor GBR defeating Olivia Price AUS 3-1. Sally Barkow USA took the Bronze medal. The RS:X windsurfing winners were also known in advance with Nick Dempsey GBR in the men and Demita Vega MEX in the women. The final report, all results and the videos.

Bruno Fontes BRA and Paul Goodison GBR started to the Medal Race with the same number of points, and it was finally the Olympic Champion Goodison GBR who secured the MOCR title with a second race rank. Bruno Fontes BRA is 2nd 6 points behind. David Wright CAN is 3rd, winning the Canadian Olympic selection with this result. The Medal Race winner was Charlie Buckingham USA. The final results of the Lasers Standard.
No changes on the podium of the Lasers Radial where the former World Champion Lijia Xu CHN defeated the reigning World Champion Marit Bouwmeester NED and made it clear for everybody that she will be a hot contender for the Olympics. Evi Van Acker BEL finished 3rd. Winner of the Medal Race was Paige Railey USA, who - after a rather disappointing MOCR on her home waters - moved up on rank 8.
The official final report and the videos.

No exploits of the two Swiss boats sailing in the Medal Races. Nathalie Brugger SUI finishing 7th defended her 6th place overall in the Lasers Radial. Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria SUI in the Starboats lost a position and completed the event on also on rank 6 overall. The results are satisfactory, as a Medal Race qualification is always a remarkable result, but much improvement in the coming weeks is mandatory to reach the intended Olympic 2012 medals. The official final report.

Ongoing position changes happened in the unconstant conditions of the Strait of Malacca in the last 24 hours. In the night on Sunday, 'Telefonica' with Iker Martinez ESP has taken the first position six miles ahead of 'Groupama' (Franck Cammas FRA), while the New Zealand 'Camper' (Chris Nicholson NZL) failed with her attack along the coast and dropped on rank 4. The race-viewer, the videos and the daily report.

Today's two races are already completed, and the winners in both heats were Sivitz/Farneti ITA who are now clearly in the overall lead, ahead of Turner/Drummond NZL 2nd and Bennen/Wejers NED tied with Crawford/Crawford AUS 3rd.
Kyranakou/Kisters NED are on the first position of the separately published women's ranking list, but Bochmann/Panuschka GER, team of the day with two first ranks, are now only one point behind the leaders.
The ranking lists and the event-website, for the moment with the day one report only.

28 solo sailors and 61 two-person teams started yesterday off Madeira to the Transatlantic Race to Martinique FRA in the Carribeans, after having merged at the Portugues island coming from Lorient FRA or Barcelona ESP. 24 hours after the joint start to the second leg over the Atlantic, 'Expat' with Chanu/Péclard FRA/SUI is in the lead, but the gaps betwen the boats are still small. The race-viewer and the report on the start.

The qualifications ended yesterday with the last two races by class, sailed in a freshening 15 kn breeze. Today Saturday, the Medal Races are on the program with most of the teams in a clear pole position. Delle-Karth/Resch AUT in the 49ers with a 19 points lead on Storck/Moore USA will remain first with the Americans on a safe second place. Lehtinen/Bask FIN and Norregard/Lang DEN will fight for the Bronze Medal. Belcher/Page AUS, 10 points ahead of Coster/Coster NED, are also on the safe side, as are the Dutchmen as second, 12 points in front of Kampouridis/Papadopulos GRE 3rd. In the 470 women, Lisa Westerhof/Lobke Berkhout NED clearly lead 12 points ahead of Mills/Clark GBR, who will be challenged by Sesto/Montegur ARG and Clark/Lihan USA for the Bronze medal. The 10 points’ advance of Zach Railey USA on Jonas Hoegh-Christensen DEN should also be sufficient for the overall win. Tension is on once again in the Starboats (why should they be out of the Olympics in 2016?), where a bunch of former Olympic and Worlds Champions will fight for the medals. Scheidt/Prada BRA are 3 points ahead of Lööf/Salminen SWE, and Melleby/Pedersen NOR follow another 5 points back. The pairing in the Women Match Race is rather a surprise as Olivia Price AUS eliminated Sally Barkow USA in the Semis and will meet Lucy McGregor (3-2 vs Silja Lehtinen FIN) in the Final. The MOCR titles for the windsurfers are also practically decided, as Nick Dempsey GBR has an 18 points’ lead in the RS:X-men , while Demita Vega MEX is also 15 points ahead in the RS:X-women. The daily report and the videos

The fleetracing phase ended yesterday with two more races sailed in an intial 8 kn breeze, freshening up to 15 kn during the heats. Man of the day and the new overall leader in the Lasers Standard is again Bruno Fontes BRA, winning both regattas and joining Paul Goodison GBR on top with the same number of points. This duo will 'matchrace' for the final victory in today's Medal Race, as David Wright CAN on rank 3 is already 20 points back. Read also the report of Clay Johnson USA, rank 7, who will also sail the Medal Race today.
Lijia Yu CHN will start to the Medal Race of the Lasers Radial with a 6 points' lead on Marit Bouwmeester NED. Evi Van Acker BEL on 3rd 13 points behind has the Bronze medal for sure.
The official report and the videos.

Marazzi/De Maria SUI in the Starboats and Nathalie Brugger SUI in the Lasers Radial represent Switzerland in today's Medal Races. With a 10 points' backlog on rank 3, the 5th Flavio Marazzi/Enrico De Maria SUI still have a chance to climb on the podium of the Starboats. Niklaus/Strube SUI/USA and Chatagny/Ducommun SUI are on the rank 18 and 23. Nathalie Brugger SUI as 6th in the Lasers Radial however is too far away from the podium ranks. Manon Luther SUI finished the competition on rank 26. Guillaume Girod SUI completed his first MOCR on rank 34 of the Laser Standard Goldfleet. The official report.

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.

The Paralympic Classes terminated their MOCR Worldcup event with two races yesterday. As expected, the winner in the 2.4 mR is the World Champion Damien Séguin FRA 25 points in front of Paul Tingley CAN. Barend Kol NED moved up on rank 3. In the Skud-18, the podium is Daniel Fitzgibbon/Liesl Tresch AUS ahead of Alexandra Rickham/Niki Birell GBR and Jennifer French/Jean-Paul Creignou USA. Hessels/van den Veen/Rossen NED took the overall win in the Sonars with the day ranks 1 and 2, leaving the teams of John Robertson GBR and Aleksander Wang-Hansen NOR behind. The official report and the videos.

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.