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Qualifiers Give Tour Stars An Early Headache In Chicago
Photo by Walter Cooper, www.waltercooperphoto.com. Click on image to enlarge.
Chicago, USA:: If Flight 1 of the Chicago Match Cup is an indicator of things to come, there will be plenty of upsets in the coming days. Three out of four of the leading lights on the Alpari Match Racing World Tour lost their opening matches to the qualifier and Wild Card teams.
In a light and fluky start to Qualifying, local sailor and skipper from the Chicago Match Race Center, Don Wilson, beat last year's regatta winner and reigning Alpari Tour World Champion, Ian Williams' GAC Pindar. Australian qualifier, Jordan Reece and his Estate Master Sailing Team, pounced on an error by Adam Minoprio's Team Alpari FX to sail into the lead on the second beat and win their opening match. And even after being six years away from the Tour, Gavin Brady and Team Vesper also managed to overtake their opponents, Bjorn Hansen and the eWork Sailing Team, who will expect better after winning last month's Tour event, Stena Match Cup Sweden.
The only Tour card holder to come through round one unscathed was US Virgin Islander Taylor Canfield and USone, who snuck across the line after trailing the wild card from New Zealand, Will Tiller's Full Metal Jacket, for all but the final few boatlengths to the finish.
In Flight 2, the Tour card holders got their revenge, with Williams beating Brady and Hansen beating Wilson. Minoprio made amends from his Flight 1 defeat with a victory over Keith Swinton and Black Swan Racing. Canfield is currently the only sailor with two wins on the board after beating Johnie Berntsson and Stena Sailing Team.
Results After Flight 2
Taylor Canfield (ISV) USone 2-0
Jordan Reece (AUS) Estate Master Sailing Team 1-0
Adam Minoprio (NZL) Team Alpari FX 1-1
Don Wilson (USA) Chicago Match Race Center 1-1
Ian Williams (GBR) GAC Pindar 1-1
Gavin Brady (USA) Team Vesper 1-1
Bjorn Hansen (SWE) eWork Sailing Team 1-1
Will Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket 0-1
Johnie Berntsson (SWE) Stena Sailing Team 0-1
Keith Swinton (AUS) Black Swan Racing 0-1
Phil Robertson (NZL) WAKA Racing 0-0
Pierre-Antoine Morvan (FRA) Vannes Agglo Sailing Team 0-0
Luna Rossa Makes It 2-0 Over Artemis
Photo by LUNA ROSSA/Studio Borlenghi-Borlengho/Butto. Click on image for photo gallery.
Italy's Luna Rossa Challenge helmsman Chris Draper said his team can sail "much, much better" than it did today, but it was still good enough to take a 2-0 lead in the semifinal round of the Louis Vuitton Cup, the America's Cup Challenger Series.
Luna Rossa defeated Artemis Racing by 2 minutes and 6 seconds today in west/southwesterly winds that averaged 11 knots. Luna Rossa tactician Francesco Bruni said the conditions were probably the lightest the team has experienced in San Francisco, and the result was a slow race. Luna Rossa completed the 15.4-nautical-mile course in 54 minutes and 26 seconds at an average speed just under 22 knots, pedestrian for the AC72.
Today was just the second race and 10th day that Artemis Racing has spent sailing its second AC72. Yesterday the team lost by 2 minutes in a spirited performance.
Today, Artemis Racing helmsman Nathan Outteridge again won the start and led Luna Rossa towards the reach mark. But the Swedish team soon found the going tougher than yesterday.
Artemis Racing struggled in the lighter winds and couldn't get foil-borne as easily as Race 1. Luna Rossa popped up onto a foil at the first reach mark and rolled over the top of Artemis Racing and into the lead.
Thursday is an off day in the Louis Vuitton Cup semifinals and Luna Rossa has said it will spend the day doing maintenance while Artemis Racing has a plan to practice.
Race 3 of the semifinal round is scheduled for Friday at 1:15 pm PT.
The semi-finals are a best of seven series.
Seahorse September 2013
What's in the Latest Edition Of Seahorse Magazine
Update
Terry Hutchinson is concerned about the opening deltas in the Louis Vuitton Cup, Dee Smith has been enjoying getting behind the science of San Francisco Bay, Andy Rice talks to Robert Scheidt and other Olympic luminaries about proposed changes for Rio 2016 and sailing bids its sad farewells to Ted Hood
World news
Frank Cammas grasps the Tour Voile, Yann Guichard considers going solo on ‘Banque Pop’, Manuard designs to the (Class40) fore, Kiwis’ race rethink, Alex Pella enjoys his first taste of the big multihulls and the ballast comes unravelled at the ORC worlds... Dobbs Davis, Blue Robinson, Carlos Pich, Ivor Wilkins, Patrice Carpentier
IRC column
Finding the right tools for the job. James Dadd
Design - Relentless
Introducing the Akilaria RC3 Class40 with Marc Lombard and Lionel Huetz
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Two Offshore Races Completed
Sandhamn, Sweden: After a day and night of offshore racing in the Baltic to complete a short and long offshore course, the three classes of the Avantime ORC European Championship have finished this morning and give some new team names to the event leaderboard.
The long 40-mile leg to the first scoring gate at Sanskobb was a near-fetch, with 15-20 knots of wind at 150° on a course heading of 180°, giving boats with strong upwind performance an edge in the results, which were scored with the same points weighting as an inshore race.
Accordingly, among the 10 boats in Class 1 Ole Martin Vordahl's Norwegian Cookson 50 Camilla with its canting keel got to the turning mark just 2 minutes behind the elapsed time leader, Thomas Nilsson's Norwegian TP 52 Trucknor Wolfpack, but corrected to just over 7 minutes ahead to take their first victory of the series.
In the 20 boats in Class 2 the results were much closer, with the big boats in the class having a slight advantage in the conditions. So, Rickard Bergkvist's Swedish IMX-40 FoxyLady was 18 minutes behind the first rounding boat, Ralf Lassig's German XP-44 Xenia, but won this race on corrected time by only 50 seconds.
But in Class 3 with its 30 boats it was a smaller boat, Patrik Frosgren's Swedish First 36.7 Team Arken Zoo, that managed to correct over the class inshore race leader, Mikhel Kosk's Estonian NM 38 Sugar 2 by an even smaller margin: 20 seconds.
The next phase of racing was to the finish line of the long offshore race, which combined the length of the short length plus some additional legs which varied for each class. Class 1 had another 113 miles to sail for a total length of 153 miles, while Class 2 sailed for another 58 miles for a total of 98 miles, and Class 3 raced for another 44 miles for a total of 44 miles. The long offshore race was worth 1.5 points, and cannot be discarded from any team's final scores in the event.
Winning this race in Class 1 was once again Camilla, by an impressive margin of 15 minutes over Trucknor, while in Class 2 it was Juss Ojala's Estonian team on their GS 42R Amserv that came back to win by only 47 seconds over Bengt Falkenberg's First 40 Teknova/Albatross. And in Class 3 Team Arken Zoo managed to not only stay ahead but extend their lead over Sugar 2 to an impressive margin of over 14 minutes in corrected time.
Racing resumes tomorrow in the Avantime ORC European Championship, with two inshore races planned, the first to start at 11:00 local time.
IOC Presidential Candidate Ng Ser Miang: 'Quiet Diplomacy' At Work On Russian Anti Gay Law
The International Olympic Committee is engaged in "quiet diplomacy'' with Russian leaders to make sure the Winter Games in Sochi are not affected by the country's new anti-gay legislation, IOC presidential candidate Ng Ser Miang said Monday.
Ng, an IOC vice-president from Singapore, said Vladimir Putin's government has much at stake in the 2014 Olympics and won't want to do anything that jeopardizes the success of Russia's first Winter Games. "The IOC has made a very strong point that they will be against any action that would discriminate against participants at the Sochi Games, whether it's officials, media, visitors or the athletes,'' Ng said.
Russia recently introduced a law that bans so-called "propagandaof nontraditional sexual relations'' and imposes hefty fines on those holding gay pride rallies.
Ng said Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the IOC's co-ordination commission for Sochi, has been in talks with the "highest authority in Russia'' to resolve the issue.
"I believe there will be a good solution to that,'' Ng told reporters in London.
"I believe that this issue will be resolved to the satisfaction of all.''
Russia's sports minister said last week that the law would be enforced during the Sochi Games, appearing to contradict assurances to the contrary from the IOC. -- Stephen Wilson, Associated Press
The New York Times Thinks It's A Bit Too Quiet...
It is entirely possible that any bobsledder or skier wearing a pin, patch or T-shirt in support of gay rights could be sent home from Sochi, not by Russian authorities, but by another group that suppresses expression: the International Olympic Committee.
Would the I.O.C. inflict such a public-relations disaster on itself? Perhaps not. But Olympic officials worldwide, including those in the United States, along with NBC and corporate sponsors, have put themselves and athletes in an awkward position by only tepidly opposing the Russian law that bans "homosexual propaganda."
Before the law was passed, the I.O.C. could have pressured Russian officials, saying it would not support the Sochi Games under such conditions. Instead, the Olympic Committee acquiesced.
In contrast to the 2010 Vancouver Games and the 2012 London Games, there will be no Pride House in Sochi as a meeting point and informational hub for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender athletes.
And even if the propaganda law is not enforced during the Sochi Games, it will remain on the books after the Olympics end.
"There should have been early, alarmed communications by the I.O.C. in relation to the law," said Minky Worden, the director of global initiatives and an Olympics expert for Human Rights Watch. "As far as we know, there weren't."
The Olympic movement is again at risk, as it was previously over doping and corruption scandals, Worden said. "The Olympic charter talks about human dignity," she said. "How is it consistent with dignity to let this discrimination pass without anything more than mild condemnation?"
Boil your blood here: www.nytimes.com
And Now Back to IOC Politics and Internal Sniping...
Bach says doping scandal won't hurt his IOC hopes
Thomas Bach says revelations of a government-backed doping program in West Germany in the 1970s should not hurt his chances to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee.
He says he was personally behind the study that was published Monday. He adds that he has always advocated a "zero-tolerance" policy for doping offenders. A prominent former German athlete is questioning how much Bach knew about doping.
Bach, a gold medalist fencer in the 1970s, is an IOC vice president who leads Germany's national Olympic body.
Bach has been considered the favorite among the six candidates to succeed Rogge in the Sept. 10 election in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The other contenders are Sergei Bubka of Ukraine, Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, Denis Oswald of Switzerland, Ng Ser Miang of Singapore and C.K. Wu of Taiwan.
A prominent former German athlete questioned how much Bach had known about doping in his days as an athlete. Bach won a team foil gold medal in fencing at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.
"Thomas Bach must have known more than he's acknowledging now," former long jumper Heidi Schueller said in an interview with the Munich newspaper tz. "But if you want to be IOC president you'd better keep quiet." -- Associated Press
www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/
* Ng Ser Miang is one of six candidates in the race to succeed Jacques Rogge, who steps down as IOC president next month after 12 years in office. The other candidates are Thomas Bach of Germany, Sergei Bubka of Ukraine, Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, Denis Oswald of Switzerland and C.K. Wu of Taiwan.
Bach, an IOC vice-president from Germany, has long been viewed as the front-runner. In what seemed like a dig at Bach, Ng went out of his way to cite the release of a report that claims West German athletes were systematically doped with government backing for years.
"It is mind boggling that any government would engage in systemic doping,'' Ng said. "We hope the report will come out as soon as possible and full action could be taken. The credibility of the Olympic movement is dependent on the integrity of sport.''
Editor: Ng Ser Miang is a former ISAF Vice President.
Industry News
The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), organiser of the Rolex Fastnet Race, has selected Inmarsat, the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, as its satellite communications partner for the 2013 race, which starts on Sunday 11th August.
Inmarsat's FleetBroadband service will be provided via RORC to eight boats in the Rolex Fastnet Race.
By using Inmarsat's global mobile satellite fleet, the eight yachts will be able to provide the RORC with an on-going flow of video, audio and social media content. This will make the challenging event accessible to journalists and sailing enthusiasts across the world. A ninth yacht will be using IsatPhone Pro, Inmarsat's global handheld satellite phone, for communication and media purposes.
Four of the yachts, amongst a record fleet of over 350 entries, will be fitted with FleetBroadband 150 terminals bundled with complimentary airtime. Four others, which already have either a FleetBroadband 500 or 250 installed for broadband communications and safety services, will be allocated complimentary airtime. These yachts will be able to provide footage to the RORC, allowing the media, sponsors and public to see what life is like aboard the yachts in this gruelling race. This will be possible using technology developed by Inmarsat and Livewire Digital for the Volvo Ocean Race that has been redesigned for the requirements of the Rolex Fastnet Race.
Yachts being supported as part of the partnership with the RORC include Artemis, a short-handed Imoca 60 (Open 60 Class) yacht and La Reponse, a First 40 boat (IRC class) skippered by RORC Admiral, Andrew McIrvine. Artemis, skippered by Brian Thompson, will be crewed by two members of the tri-service initiative 'Toe In The Water' (TITW), which aims to inspire the men and women who have sustained often traumatic injuries to move beyond their disability and become re-inspired by life. The team on Artemis will race on equal terms with their able bodied contemporaries.
Other yachts involved in this initiative include: Leopard, the Farr designed, 100ft Super-Maxi; Bella Mente, a JV72 Mini-Max; Pace, a TP52; Magnum, a Kerr 40; Momentum Ocean Racing, a Class 40; Oman Air- Muscadam, a MOD 70 and Rockfish, a Figaro.
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UK Sailmakers International (UKI) has recently been acquired by a group of UK Sailmakers' loft owners. The company said in a statement that its "unique business model" will bring individual lofts more closely together since they are now partners.
Under the new ownership structure, UK Sailmakers International has been bought by UK Sailmakers Technology, AB in Sweden. "We are confident about the future of UK Sailmakers, knowing that 19 UK lofts owners working together can further strengthen the UK brand that we now own," said Lennart "Dallas" Dahlström in the statement.
Dahlström will serve as interim CEO to oversee working groups focused on developing new software and sail design as well as customer service, marketing, sailor education and other company projects.
Charles "Butch" Ulmer, who founded the company 38 years ago, will also be part of the new structure, serving as an advisor to the management group. He will continue to own and operate the City Island, New York, loft.
The company has more than 50 lofts around the world. The statement said it hopes to attract more lofts into the group as it expands.
IBI News: https://plus.ibinews.com
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Sailing hardware and accessories manufacturer, Harken, has signed up as an Official Event Supplier for September's International 2.4mR World Championships at The Poole Yacht Club. Harken will supply prizes for both competitors and volunteers over the course of the four days of racing while every participant will also receive a Harken document case.
Harken join Volvo Car UK, Powerboat Training UK, Mar-Key Group, Palmers Brewery, Sainsbury's and Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) amongst the event's leading sponsors, suppliers and partners while a host of national and local companies have come onboard as event supporters offering a range of services and goods.
The 2013 International 2.4mR World Championships start on Friday 6 September, with racing from Tuesday 10 September to Friday 13 September.
harken.com
24mworlds2013.co.uk
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British deck shoe brand, Chatham, announces it is sponsoring the inaugural Stokey Woodall's Atlantic Circuit (SWAC) sailing rally.
The exciting new yacht rally, setting sail in 2014, will cover one complete circumnavigation of the North Atlantic. Made up of two legs, the Westbound Atlantic passage travels from Madeira through Cape Verde and onto Barbados. The Eastbound Atlantic passage starting in St Augustine, Florida travels on to Bermuda, then the Azores and finishes in Cowes, Isle of Wight.
chatham.co.uk
atlanticcircuit.com
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METS organiser Amsterdam RAI has announced a call for entries for this year's DAME Award (Design Award METS).
Exhibitors are encouraged to enter their most innovative designs to be judged by an independent jury at the Marine Equipment Trade Show (METS) in November. Those wishing to submit products should complete the online application by September 17, 2013.
Each year the DAME Award registration fee of €150 is donated to a charity. In 2013, the METS Exhibition Committee has decided to share the donation amongst Sailability, which gives disabled people the opportunity to independently enjoy sailing, and Freedom Waters, which offers boating opportunities and marine related activities for people with disabilities, life threatening illnesses, youth at risk, and others with special needs.
Last year €17,250 was raised for AMREF Flying Doctors, the designated charity of Amsterdam RAI.
METS 2013 will be held from November 19-21 at the Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre in the Netherlands.
IBI News: https://plus.ibinews.com
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The Offshore Racing Rule (ORR) recently announced the appointment of a new executive director, Bjorn Johnson of Newport, RI. Johnson served as Chief Inspector for the Newport Bermuda Race in 2006 and 2008, and Race Chairman in 2010, and he was the Race Director for the Charleston to Bermuda Yacht Race. Johnson is the Safety and Technical Chairman of the 2015 Trans-Atlantic Race.
Johnson's extensive background in management, strategic planning and partnership development, along with lifelong experience in the boating industry, were key factors in his selection, according to the ORR. Johnson has raced and cruised more than 80,000 nautical miles on boats ranging from dinghys to 100 footers.
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