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Bart Simpson Dies During AC72 Training
It is with immense sadness that Artemis Racing confirms the tragic death of crewmember Andrew "Bart" Simpson today in San Francisco.
AndrewSimpson-375x500Simpson, a British double Olympic medalist, was one of the 11-man crew aboard Artemis Racing's AC72 catamaran which capsized during training on San Francisco Bay ahead of this summer's America's Cup. All other crewmembers are accounted for.
Simpson, however, was trapped underneath the boat and despite attempts to revive him, by doctors afloat and subsequently ashore, his life was lost.
"The entire Artemis Racing team is devastated by what happened," said CEO Paul Cayard. "Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew's wife and family."
From the America's Cup site:
Members of the America's Cup community are on San Francisco Bay assisting Artemis Racing after the capsize of its first AC72 catamaran. The incident occurred between 12:30 pm and 1:00 pm PT.
According to news reports, emergency crews were on site and performing CPR to a crewmember who had been trapped under the platform for an estimated 10 minutes.
All other crewmembers had been accounted for.
artemis-racing.americascup.com
www.americascup.com
ORACLE TEAM USA:
Today is a sad day for all of us in the sailing community. Andrew Simpson was a great person, a terrific sailor, and a good friend to all of our team. Our thoughts are with his family and the entire Artemis team. He will be dearly missed.
RYA Performance Director John Derbyshire:
"We're devastated by the news from San Francisco today. Andrew is someone I've worked closely with since the age of 16 - he was a great talent, and a key figure in our World Class Programme over many years culminating in his well-deserved Olympic success. He was a huge inspiration to others, both within the British Sailing Team and across the nation and our deepest sympathies go out to his family at this terrible time."
RYA Olympic Manager Stephen Park:
"Andrew was a fantastic sailor who got the best out of everyone he sailed with. He was much loved and will be sorely missed by everyone in our close knit team. Our thoughts today are with Andrew's family."
From The Telegraph:
Mr Simpson, who was affectionately known as "Bart" after the television show character, was married to Leah Simpson and had an infant son, Freddie.
He was appointed an MBE in 2009 for his services to sport.
Mr Simpson and sailing partner Iain Percy, a childhood friend, took gold in Beijing in 2008 after narrowly besting the Swedish team in the Star event.
The pair came in silver in the same event during the 2012 London Olympics, competing from the Isle of Portland in Dorset.
Mr Simpson was born in Chertsey, Surrey, and attended Pangbourne College in Berkshire before studying economics at University College London.
Oldest Regatta In The U.S.
When it comes to competitive sailing this summer, Newport's dance card is full, leading with the grandfather of all events, the 159th New York Yacht Club Annual Regatta presented by Rolex. Interrupted only by war, the event, scheduled for June 14-16, has continued its historic legacy for well over a century and a half, making it the oldest regatta in the country.
Equally impressive is its delivery of hard-core racing and sporting camaraderie at one of sailing's most renowned playgrounds and one of the world's most prestigious yacht clubs. Orchestrated from the New York Yacht Club's Harbour Court clubhouse in Newport, R.I. and sailed on Narragansett Bay and Rhode Island Sound, the regatta is open to yachts sailing in IRC, Classic, 12 Metre and One-Design classes as well as the recently introduced Cruiser-Racer and Doublehanded divisions.
"The Annual Regatta goes back to the early days of the New York Yacht Club with its first clubhouse in Hoboken, New Jersey, and now, in Newport, it has become a signature event of the yacht club and the first major event of the year," said former NYYC Commodore Charles Townsend (Middletown, R.I./New York, N.Y.) who will be racing his 39-foot Sparkman & Stephens designed Fidelio in the Classics class. "Newport is a yachting hub and definitely the center of the classic-boat universe. This is the first wooden classic that I've owned, and it's like sailing a museum piece. Prior to that, I always had high performance carbon-fiber boats, but racing classics is just as tight as one-design racing, and we have a wonderful time. Their motion is so graceful through the water, and they are beautiful to sail and to see."
Fidelio, along with most of the rest of the fleet, will be competing in a separately scored (therefore optional) 19-nautical mile Around the Island Race on Friday, June 14. The circumnavigation of Conanicut Island remains a favorite among racing sailors visiting Newport, and at stake in the IRC division is a Rolex timepiece, which will be presented to the overall winner during that evening's festivities at Harbour Court.
The New York Yacht Club 159th Annual Regatta presented by Rolex is part of the 2013 Gulf Stream Series and the first event in the New York Yacht Club Classic Yacht Series. The entry deadline is June 10.
For a full list of entries and additional information, including registration, please visit the Annual Regatta event page on the New York Yacht Club's website at nyyc.org/yachting/racing/159th-annual-regatta
America's Cup Hall of Fame to Induct Three
The Herreshoff Marine Museum / America's Cup Hall of Fame today announced the identity of the next three inductees to the America's Cup Hall of Fame. All three began their America's Cup associations within teams in the 12-Metre era, two of them subsequently became instrumental in America's Cup event organization, two of them are still heavily involved today, and two of them have been Cup sailors as well as managers.
The first person to be inducted this year is an American woman. Lucy Jewett, who has been active in the America's Cup almost continuously since 1974, becomes only the second woman to enter the Hall of Fame. The next of the three 2013 inductions is made posthumously to Australian Noel Robins, who was active over the period spanning 1977 through 1987 initially as a sailor and lastly as an organizer; the final inductee is fellow Australian Grant Simmer, who has won the America's Cup three times over 30 years.
Lucy M. Jewett (USA)
Along with her late husband, George F. "Fritz" Jewett, who is already a member of the Hall of Fame, Lucy has been a key figure within several America's Cup defender and challenger syndicates.
Her long involvement and her passion for the event and its people have made her an iconic figure in the America's Cup world where she is incredibly well respected as both an advisor and mentor.
Noel Robins, OAM (AUS) (b 1935 - d 2003)
Robins skippered the 12 Metre Australia in the 1977 America's Cup Match which was sailed against Ted Turner's Courageous. In 1980 he returned with Alan Bond's challenging team as a coach.
Seven years later, following Bond's successful 1983 Australia II challenge, when the Royal Perth Yacht Club needed to organize the first ever America's Cup season outside of the United States, Robins as Executive Director.
Grant Simmer (AUS) (b. 1957)
Simmer has won the America's Cup three times in a career that spans four decades. In 1983 Simmer was the young, 26-year-old navigator on board the historic challenger Australia II, the boat that achieved the impossible dream and broke the New York Yacht Club's 132-year long grip on the America's Cup.
Since that famous victory Simmer could fairly be accused of having made a career of the America's Cup as he has been involved in a variety of roles across no fewer than nine subsequent campaigns.
Cretan Union Cup Calls For Entries
Organizers of the Cretan Union Cup have announced a call for entries to a series of inshore and offshore races spanning the length of Crete to celebrate the 100th year anniversary of its reunion with Greece. From 12-19 October, this event will give participants the opportunity to not only sail over the pristine waters of the island, but also have the time to enjoy the extraordinary history and hospitality of this ancient land, which since prehistoric times has served as an important crossroads for all sailors and navigators of the Mediterranean.
After Registration on Saturday-Sunday, 12-13 October, the competition starts in western Crete on Monday, 14 October with a windward-leeward race in Chania, followed by a 44-mile race to Rethimnon, where the fleet will have a lay day of no racing on Tuesday, 15 October with an evening awards party planned for the first leg. On Wednesday, 16 October the fleet will have another windward-leeward race, followed by a 39-mile race to Heraklion, where the participants will have a lay day in Heraklion on Thursday, 17 October and evening awards party for Leg 2. The competition will resume on Friday, 18 October with a windward-leeward race followed by a 49-mile race to Agios Nikolaos. The final day of racing on Saturday, 19 October in this will feature two windward-leeward races, followed by an overall prize giving ceremony.
Entries of overall length of 7 meters or more are welcome, and classes will include ORC International, ORC Club, and ORC Club non-spinnaker, among other classes.
This venue holds great historical interest, with some of the world's oldest seafaring traditions. For example, with their pioneering efforts in naval architecture, Minoan Crete was for millennia the sole naval power ruling the Mediterranean, and current scientific sources even make reference to the trading of zinc with North America thousands of years BC.
Prof. Ioannis Pallikaris, Chairman of the Cretan Union Cup: "The Region of Crete and the nine sailing clubs of the island have a tradition in offering the hospitality and successful international organization of events such as the Minoan Cup, the Odyssal, the IMS 600 European and World Championships, the 5th World University Championship, and more. Crete lies ready to welcome all who want to explore this beautiful and historic island in some of the most ideal sailing conditions in the world."
Seahorse June 2013
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
ORC column
And yacht technology is alive and well, say Andy Claughton and Jason Ker
Design - A boat for all seasons
Rolf Vrolijk looks to have pulled off some very clever maths with his new IRC/ORC/HPR (sic) flyer - built in China by Paul Hakes
Seahorse build table - Like topsy
Tom Humphreys celebrates his office's return to the Class 40... now with the gloves off
Sailor of the Month
Two people who are doing good things for sailing
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Sleigh Ride To Scheveningen: RORC North Sea Race
The 210-mile race from Harwich to Scheveningen [Race start is Friday at 1030 AM local time.] looks like being a fast sleigh ride across the North Sea. Fresh southwesterly winds with gusty rainsqualls are predicted, which should produce an ideal angle for an exhilarating race for the international fleet. 75 yachts have entered the race, which has a weighted points factor as part of this year's RORC Season's Point's Championship. Whilst many of the entries are from Holland, yachts from Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain and Germany are also taking part.
Last year's winner overall under IRC was Frans Rodenburg's Dutch First 40, Elke.
Chris Revelman & Pascal Bakker's Dutch J/122, Junique won the IRC Two Handed Class last year and the duo are back to defend their win.
The Line Honours favourite is Harm Prins' Volvo 60, Pleomax. However, Dutch Ker 46 Tonnerre de Breskens, skippered by Piet Vroon, may be a contender. Also two Ker 40s, namely; Harmen J de Graaf's Baraka and Edward Broadway's Hooligan VII should revel in the forecast conditions.
The North Sea Race 2013 from Harwich to Scheveningen is being tracked with Yellowbrick Trackers. Click to follow the race live: yb.tl/northsea2013 -- Louay Habib
Changes To Rules For 2013 Transpac
Los Angeles, California, USA:P Organizers from the Transpacific YC have announced some minor rule changes for the 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race, which have been posted on the event website as Amendment No. 1 to the Notice of Race. Many changes involve merely a re-‐numbering of rules from the 2009-‐12 Racing Rules of Sailing (RRS) to the current 2013-‐16 version of the RRS, including US prescriptions to the RRS, and the 2012-‐13 Offshore Special Regulations (OSR).
However, a new section defining Penalties has been written to better anticipate scenarios that may arise during the race to allow the Protest Committee to provide fair and timely rulings.
The section on Communications Restrictions has also been clarified to reflect that no communication vessel will be accompanying the fleet in this year's race. All entries will still be required to carry a VHF transceiver with a minimum 25 watts power and a masthead antenna, either a 100 W SSB transceiver or a satphone, and have e-‐mail send and receive capability.
"These changes should help both the competitors and us organizers with our planning for the race, which looks now to exceed the size of the last race," said Dave Cort, Race Chairman for the 2013 Transpac. "We are excited about this group of entries at all levels and from many countries who have chosen to challenge themselves in this great race."
First run in 1904, there are currently 58 monohull and 2 multihull entries for the 2013 edition of this iconic 2225-‐mile sprint from Los Angeles to Honolulu that biennially continues to attract the interest of offshore sailors around the world. Teams are coming from Canada, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Germany and Italy, as well as from throughout the US for this year's race.
Classes have not yet been announced, but the slowest will start on Monday, July 8th, the next group on Thursday, July 11th, and the fastest on Friday, July 12th.
Awards in Honolulu at The Modern Hotel will be held on Thursday, July 25th.
Limited Validity and The Gold Roman Bowl
Following the trial introduction of Spinlock IRC Limited Validity TCCs in the UK we have had 23 applications to date, 15 of which are for the JPMAM Round the Island which is the epitome of a race suitable for the LV TCC. It was the owners whose only IRC race is this famous race that first prompted us to consider the LV TCC concept.
Owners who usually race in the ISC class but who would like to be eligible to win the prestigious Gold Roman Bowl can get an IRC rating for the day's race at an average cost of £20, probably a fraction of a normal post-race bar bill! There is still time to apply, so give us a call on 01590 677030 or have a look at www.rorcrating.com/lv-tcc for more information.
Not Sailing But Very Cool
When Michael Gore stands, it's a triumph of science and engineering. Eleven years ago, Gore was paralyzed from the waist down in a workplace accident, yet he rises from his wheelchair to his full 6-foot-2-inches and walks across the room with help from a lightweight wearable robot.
The technology has many nicknames. Besides "wearable robot," the inventions also are called "electronic legs" or "powered exoskeletons." This version, called Indego, is among several competing products being used and tested in U.S. rehab hospitals that hold promise not only for people such as Gore with spinal injuries, but also those recovering from strokes or afflicted with multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy.
Gore, 42, of Whiteville, N.C., demonstrated the device this week at the American Spinal Injury Association meeting in Chicago, successfully negotiating a noisy, crowded hallway of medical professionals and people with spinal injuries in wheelchairs.
Paul Tobin, president of the nonprofit advocacy group United Spinal, said wearable robots present an exciting opportunity but that patients should keep their expectations realistic.
"It's going to be critical that people have a thorough medical evaluation before trying something like this, especially if they've been injured for some time," Tobin said. "It won't be appropriate for everyone. For some people, it will be a godsend."
Read more: www.nydailynews.com
Featured Brokerage
1949 Sussex Shipbuilding Laurent Giles Design 104. US$ 260,000. Located in France.
Gulvain is an opportunity to own a legendary sailing yacht. Built in 1949 and fully restored in 1991, and again refitted in 2006, this most famous Laurent Giles vintage ocean racer is presently lying in France and is available for sale for a small fraction of the cost spent to restore this historic yacht.
Gulvain is one of the most famous sailing boats in yachting history, and is a two time Trans Atlantic Race winner, and winner of many, many ocean races. Gulvain is featured in books and magazine articles including a 1960's photo album by Beken of Cowes of the world's greatest sailboats, "Beauty of Sail" and a 1950's oil painting by Montegue Dawson, "Ocean Racers". Gulvain is prominently described in The Encyclopedia of Sailing and is the subject of a book, "Gulvain: Fast off the Wind", written by John Tassos.
Brokerage through Robert Christopher Yacht Sales: www.yachtworld.com/robertchristopheryacht/
Complete listing details and seller contact information at uk.yachtworld.com
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