A Slow Start for the Barcelona World Race

Monday - November 12 2007 - 0908 PST - Here's word from Jérémie Beyou on Delta Dore, after his first night in the Barcelona World Race on board Delta Dore:

We would rather have this kind of start! It is always great to get back on the water. It was a little bit of a muddle at the beginning with so many spectator boats around the course so we tried to stay safe by keeping away at the start and on the first leg downwind but tried to keep ourselves in the loop, and to come out of it in second place was quite nice as well!

We saw that some of the other boats had gone into the spectator fleet but we preferred to keep closer to the coast, be careful avoiding the mark with the wind, and make sure we kept the boat in one piece.

Mediterranean conditions are prevailing right now, and we were all quite grouped together during the night. After a while it died out completely and a number of boats came to a standstill, whilst others have broken free.

At night you don't see the surface of the water so well, and it is all a bit of a lottery, later on we'll see where everyone else is.

We haven't worked out an exact system but we are both trying to get as much rest as possible on our shift which last night was early on when the boat was going quite well with just one of us on deck.

It is quite nice to be sailing again after such an intensive week, and after a good sleep we have got rid of some of the pressure.

All we need to do now is find the right way through - if the wind would just start blowing a little! I'm working on short term predictions, and we have some different ideas in mind that we have to check out, but it's not looking promising, and it looks like its going to be a long haul; we are already behind to where we thought we would be. We just want to get past Gibraltar, but we might not get there until at least Wednesday..."

Ecover Takes Lead

Monday - November 12 2007 - 0843 PST - It took 2 perfect jibes for Mike Golding and Bruno Dubois (Ecover 3) to take the lead off Safran in the Imoca class after 7 days at sea as they crossed 50 meters in front of Groupe Bel in the night. Groupe Bel still hot on her heels - only 3.3 miles behind at 4:00 p.m.

But the game is far from being over as the next 48 hours are to be crucial for each boat to hold her place in the ranking. The 7th boat in the leading pack is 66 miles away from the leader after 2000 miles of racing which means the two skippers on Ecover are keeping a close eye on their competitor's tactics. Safran and Gitana Eighty are on the same route as Ecover 3 only 13 and 19 miles away whilst Foncia and Cheminées Poujoulat sailing along the coast still represent a threat as they approach the Cape Verde Islands. VM Matériaux racked up one place since this morning and is now in 5th.

In the middle of the board Generali and Brit'Air are sailing in the tracks of the leaders whilst Roxy and Maisonneuve have been heading west since yesterday getting closer to the Rhumb line.

Aviva is battling hard west of the Canary Islands. Their speed, as well as Akenas Veranda 22 miles in front of them, dropped dramatically at 12:00 (around 4 knots).

Joynon Waits at the Window

Monday - November 12 2007 - 0827 PST - Francis Joyon officially christened his monstrous trimaran IDEC over the weekend and is still on standby to leave and attempt to break the solo non-stop round the world speed record. Joyon looks to make the circumnavigation in under 70-days, which would break the record held by Dame Ellen MacArthur. It would be fitting that he break MacArthur's record as it was she who broke his back in 2005. We'll keep you posted.

Team Shosholoza to Build "Radical Giant"

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 1124 PST - Team Shosholoza has appointed a new naval architect to lead the design and build in South Africa of a radical new 90 foot "giant" campaign yacht for the next America's Cup.

Shosholoza managing director Captain Salvatore Sarno said well-known Cape Town based naval architect, Alex Simonis of Simonis Voogd Design, has signed with the team for the second South African America's Cup challenge. He will head a largely South African team of designers and hopes to utilize specialists from the previous challenge.

Simonis' appointment coincides with the announcement by America's Cup Management of a new event format, new racing schedule and rules for a new bigger, faster and more demanding 90 foot yacht, the AC90, for the next Cup which will be held in Valencia, Spain in 2009.

"It will be a giant of a racing boat. Everything about it is extreme and that's what will make it so exciting for both sailors and spectators!" said designer Alex Simonis adding that the prospect of designing the new Shosholoza was as exciting as his new appointment.

Shosholoza's new 90 footer will be designed and built in Cape Town. A boat yard will be set up in January next year (2008)and building will start in March. The completion date is set for September.

The yacht will be launched in Cape Town in October 2008 with sea trials starting in Table Bay immediately after. The yacht will be re-launched in February 2009 in Valencia, Spain, ahead of the start of racing in April 2009. Photo of the last boat courtesy of Team Shosholoza.

Groupama 2 Eating Up Miles and Flying Fish Too

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 1102 PST - This came in from, Groupama 2, leading ORMA boat in the Transat Jacques Vabre. They have a solid lead and are now within 1000 miles of Brazil: "We had a fairly good night, even though it's quite stressful to pass so close to the islands, especially as a result of the vast number of fishing nets in this area." "Right now it's dead hot, the seas are flat, there's a shaded sun and a multitude of flying fish, which have been hitting the central hull or wiping out on the nets. That was what Franck and I ate at lunch time actually...excellent! The wind should ease off progressively over the next few hours as we make the doldrums, which look thick and vast."

Battle for the Lead

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 1042 PST - Hull & Humber has managed to close in further on the lead boat, New York, and at the 06:00 GMT schedule this morning there was just 9 nautical miles separating the two in the Clipper Round the World Race. With New York just holding off the team from the north east of England it looks set to be a close and hard fought battle for first place up the east coast of South Africa to Durban.

Joff Bailey, Race Director: “Most of the fleet have reported high top speeds over the last 12-hours with up to 20 knots not being uncommon whilst surfing down a wave. This will be very good practice for the crew as the next leg takes them into the infamous Southern Ocean where they could easily hit speeds up to 30 knots as the waves increase further in size.”

Next Stop Barcelona!

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 1028 PST - An enormous spectator fleet of over 650 boats was on hand to celebrate the fleet of nine boats starting the Barcelona World Race, with many tens of thousands more crowded along the shoreline to pay tribute to the 18 skippers as they embark on their three-month race around the globe.

At exactly 13:00 local time, famed offshore sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur and the Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, fired off the starting gun, setting the fleet on its way. The southwesterly breeze made for a downwind start, and with gennakers and spinnakers set, the fleet looked spectacular.

Crossing the starting line first was Educación sin Fronteras, with local sailor Albert Bargués and his co-skipper Servanne Escoffier, at 26, the youngest sailor in the race. Nearly immediately following the start, PRB roared off into the spectator fleet, flying along at 12 to 14 knots under spinnaker through the crowded waters. No collisions were reported, although several close calls certainly would have left hearts pounding.

By the first mark PRB had grabbed an early lead over Hugo Boss and Paprec-Virbac 2. And Delta Dore and Estrella Damm were very close behind.

A-Cat Warm Ups Set the Stage

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 0955 PST - Today was Day 2 of the Islander Resort Blue Water Classic, the tune up for the 2007 Ronstan A-Cat Worlds, which will run from 12-16 Nov. Conditions today were perfect for the sailors. Wind was out of the North at a fairly steady 12-15 knots, seas weren't any more than a local 2 foot chop, and what current there was (less than 0.5 knots) was setting the fleet toward the pin end at the start which was good for the Race Committee.

Going into todays racing, it was fairly close with Pease Glaser and Luc Du Bois taking bullets from yesterday. Today though was dominated by the Australians. Glenn Ashby took firsts in all three races today in a very convincing way which now sets the bar for excellence in the Worlds next week. Fellow Australian, Scotty Anderson, was just as dominant with two seconds. Congratulations to Glenn and Scotty for rolling the rest of the field in first and second for this VERY competitive warm up event. The other top spots were filled by Luc Du Bois in third, Lars Guck in fourth, and Pete Melvin in fifth.

All this sets the stage for some very competitive sailing next week. In the field for the A-Cat worlds there are numerous Olympic medalists and competitors, many national and continental champions, and other world class sailors. As with many events like this, you can expect a group to rise to the top early. But what will make this World Championship different will be the size of this group – both in the percentage of the fleet as well as the total number of competitors which will be competing every day and in every race.

This A Cat report brought to you by www.morrellimelvin.com.

ISAF Will Exclude Mutihulls From 2012 Olympics

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 0945 PST - Overshadowing the A-Cat pre-worlds today was the news from the ISAF that they have voted to exclude multihull racing in the 2012 Olympic Games. There are many Olympic sailors at the worlds, some of them Medalists, and the news hit hard. In a development class such as the A-Cats, the future of the sport comes from the people competing this week. Earlier this year, USSailing forwarded their recommendations on to the ISAF and these recommendations specifically excluded multihull racing. The stance by US Sailing and other National Governing Bodies seems to send a clear message as to where they believe multihull sailing fits into their National sailing priorities. This is unfortunate in that a huge group of sailors now feel abandoned and disenfranchised by the organizations in their countries that they have relied on to help organize and further the sport of sailing in their area of interest. Hopefully, there will be interviews later in the week with some of these world class competitors about this unfortunate turn of events. Story by Tom Siders.

The Challenge of the TJV

Sunday - November 11 2007 - 0930 PST - Whether it is in terms of weather or racing, the future days look a bit hairy for the Transat Jacques Vabre skipper. Doldrums, Canary Islands, Madeira are words that echo like sunshine, warmth and blue waters. At sea in the Transat Jacques Vabre, they also mean tactics, - more - manoueuvers, happiness or foul mood at the results of the polls. Above all, imagine the weather patterns you are used to in this place - and you, a sailor of experience who knows his way among them - but the 3-day forecasts you previously relied on have proved to be random for the last 7 days. Tricky. This "new" situation made this race interesting for the crews, but difficult too when they wanted to make a decision to stay in the match. What kind of discussions were taking place on board and how tough it would be to stick with their decision when the result was being stuck in a wind hole? After 7 days at sea the race is proving to be tiring as much as challenging. And it's far from finished!



MONOHULLS - IMOCA and Class 40



At 12:00 the 5 frontrunners of the Imoca fleet were within 10 miles of each other. Groupe Bel snatched a few places to grab 2nd place. At 4:00 p.m, there were only 4 boats within 4 miles! Safran still leading before Groupe Bel, and Ecover 3 (who gained one more place), Gitana Eighty slipping to 4th. The gap in miles has increased in 4 hours between 4th and the 8th other boats sailing within a hundred miles of the leader. Foncia for example has slipped down three places after putting further east in her route now sailing 25 miles away from Safran (10 miles at 12:00).

The other boats leading the pack are following each other after all passing through the Canary. Generali 9th, 119 miles away from Safran and Cheminées Poujoulat 7th - are following the same track whilst Brit'Air and Roxy chose to pass through Gran Canaria and Teneriffe on a more westerly route.

The boats are still manoeuvring in a North / North-easterly flow of 15 / 20 knots trying to adjust their sails (spinnaker or gennaker) to their route and the wind conditions.

Aviva has been loosing ground after being surprised by the wind changing direction, at her approach of Madera. They are now back on the hunt to retake the ground lost in the operation.

Approaching Madera the fleet of Class 40 is sailing in 10/12 knots negotiating in a mined area of patches without wind and they do not have much choice regarding their route. Apart from Sidaction, the first part of the fleet (say till "En avant les enfants ranked 13th) will leave Madera at their west trying to keep the benefit of the flow that fills their sails. Clarke Offshore racing who positioned herself at the west yesterday (at the west of the direct route as well of Sidaction) seems to put some east in her route in trying to get back on a more direct route. The rear of the fleet will probably reach the island only tomorrow.

Banque Populair Gains on Groupama

Saturday - November 10 2007 - 0926 PST - Transat Jacques Vabre ORMA update:

Groupama and Banque Populaire are approaching the Islands of Cape Verde sailing on opposite tacks. Franck Cammas, on port tack is in control of the blue trimaran (on starboard tack) behind him. But Banque Populaire is now following in the track of his predecessor and is gaining miles at each polling (only 82 miles behind at 4 p.m. against 100 miles at 8:00 this morning). Gitana 11 is in 3rd, 217 miles from Groupama but no doubt that if Lemonchois finds the right wind conditions, he will push hard to make gains. After the islands, the trimarans will deal with the doldrums area where a speed race will start in steady trade winds. The question then will be: how much risk will they take to push their boats?

One Last Rest

Saturday - November 10 2007 - 1014 PST - The nine-boat fleet that will soon be sailing around the world are resting one final night before they're asked to perform on the highest level in the most demanding of circumstances. Tomorrow, in teams of two, some of the most respected sailors in the business will race 25,000 miles over three months across the planet's most hostile and challenging oceans in high-performance IMOCA Open 60 monohulls in the Barcelona World Race. Never before has a two-handed, non-stop around the world race been staged and there has never been a crewed, non-stop round the world race in monohulls. Photo onEdition.

New Rule Response

Saturday - November 10 2007 - 0940 PST - Here's further response to how the America's Cup meeting of the minds went on Thursday. Here are Britton Ward's thoughts, principal designer for Desafío Español: "The America's Cup has always been the pinnacle of the sport of yacht racing and has been traditionally contested in yachts that are at the cutting edge of technology and performance. The new AC90 Rule will produce a fleet of boats that continues this tradition. The new AC90 will be longer, lighter and wider with deeper draft and larger sail plans than their predecessors. This new breed will be visually impressive and promises to show spectacular performance, however, they will be challenging to sail to their full potential. The new rule does a nice job allowing design freedom to encourage technological development while controlling the main performance drivers which should continue to provide close racing.

The Canaries Will Be Deciding Factor in TJV

Saturday - November 10 2007 - 0926 PST - Apart from the Class 40, the fleet in this Transat Jacques Vabre is benefiting from a north east flow (trade winds) of 15 to 20 knots. The Orma and Imoca are now reaching on beautiful seas and all is well aboard the boats. The polls that come every four hours on their screens are an occasion to examine the positions of their opponents -what they do, where they are etc. And even though they note that they are sailing their own race with the wind conditions they have locally, the skippers need to keep a close eye on who is on their heels.

In IMOCA boats, Safran is still leading after 5 days of racing, and they are now approaching the Canary Islands at around 12 knots with a northern flow. They should reach the islands overnight. The passage through the islands must be taken with care as the mountains will shadow the winds, which could result in being stuck for a few hours. The decision Marc Guillemot will make will be closely followed by his pursuers. In case he slows down, the boats sailing far enough to change their route may want to try another tact rather than follow him into the trap. With six other boats chasing Safran within 53 miles - Foncia and Gitana within 18 miles - there is much at stake. Photo Th. Martinez.

A-Cat Pre-Worlds Start Today

Friday - November 9 2007 - 1520 PST - The Islander Resort Blue Water Classic Regatta got under way today at the Islander Resort in Islamorada, Florida on this beautiful weather in the Florida Keys. The International A-Cat class Association is the organizing body for the event which features six former and current Olympians, fifteen world champions and a great number of national and continental champions. There are 7-10 different platforms being competitively raced, one rigid wing sail (Ben Hall of Hall Spars) and at least 10 different thoughts going on in the sail design department here. Some of the early favorites are Charlie Ogletree, current Tornado representative, Glen Ashby, defending A-Class World champion, Lars Guck, NA Champion, Pete Melvin, Olympic Medalist, Tornado and Pease Glaser, Olympic Medalist and former NA A-class champion. This list is only the tip of the iceberg and definitely incomplete when looking at the possibilities as to who will win the event. There is so much great talent and proven winners taking part in this regatta, that to list those who have a chance to win would end up as a list of one quarter of the participants. The classic is a two day warm up event with three races scheduled on each day. After, the Worlds begin with registration and measurement on the 10-11 and racing on the 12-16.

The day started out great with 63 competitors on the starting line for a 1:00 start. The wind was clocking 12-15 from dead off shore at 325°. The first race got a clean start and racers made great time to the first mark. The wind shifted 30° requiring a change to 255° at the leeward mark for a new weather mark. Luc Dubois SUI202 took a bullet after receiving a good right shift with Scott Anderson AUS2 in second and Glen Ashby AUS1 in third. The second race of the day started with 12 knots solid and the wind then tapered off as the race progressed to 6-7 knots. Pease Glaser sailed a strong race from the beginning with Glen Ashby in tow. Randy Smyth at one point during the race seemed to have the lead, but fell 6th for the race in some confusion about the course directions. The race committee worked hard to get a third race in, but after two General recalls (one black flagged) they decided to head to shore for some well deserved refreshments.

It was a great day for all who participated in the event to get comfortable with the local conditions, winds, tides and course layout as well as for the RC to get into the groove of what to expect from both the weather and the fleet. Today the racing began at 11:00 and I should have the results posted later in the day. Early results Place Glen Ashby in first and Pete Melvin in second and Luc Dubois in third with three more races to go before settling in for the Worlds. There are many more competitors that either did not sail today or are still in the process of arriving and rigging for the worlds. I will keep you posted. Results will also be posted at www.acatworlds.com. This A-Cat report brought to you by www.morrellimelvin.com.

Dee's Ultimate Goal - Making History

Friday - November 9 2007 - 1440 PST - The Transat Jacques Vabre has provided some testing challenges so far for Dee Caffari and Nigel King who are currently in 11th place. They are enjoying a "race within a race" with rivals Akena Verandas and Maisonneuve, boats of a similar generation to Aviva. It is apparent that with each Aviva sail change or tactical manoeuvre comes a boost to Dee's confidence which is crucial for what lies ahead.

Today is exactly one year before Dee sets out on her first Vendée Globe and she is starting to reveal a competitive side to her character. Dee plans to be a serious contender in next year's solo race around the world and in the process she also hopes to achieve her ultimate goal of being the first woman to sail solo around the world in both directions.

Dee said from onboard Aviva, "A year today - how exciting!! Actually it is quite scary but exciting. I'm enjoying this race a lot more than I thought I would. I'd expected to be scared and I wasn’t sure about the pressure but I'm loving the thrill of it. Every day is a new almost vertical learning curve but it's less steep than it was earlier this year. I'd like to think of myself as a serious contender in the Vendée Globe. It's the highest level of solo yacht racing and I have chosen to go in at that demanding level. I realise it won't be a jolly. I'll have a brand new boat so think I'll be competitive."

She added, "Today I disagreed with Nigel over which sails to use but didn't say anything. When we ended up changing back, I told him what I had been thinking and he said I should have been more confident. He said: 'You know what you are doing - you need to tell me.' That was good for my confidence - he was wrong and I was right. This race has taken me out of my comfort zone - sailing at 30 knots under spinnaker was awesome and I have had to push the boat much harder than I have before but I've been happy to be on deck on my own while Nigel is asleep in those conditions."

Safran continues to lead the IMOCA pack.

Gitana 11 Back in the Hunt

Friday - November 9 2007 - 0945 PST - Transat Jacques Vabre ORMA update: The shore crew got the new foil and new gennaker onboad Gitana 11 (Lemonchois / Guichard) without a hitch. The pit stop in Las Palmas was said to be "clinical", less than 2 hours to repair and they've since cast off and returned to racing.

Open for Demonstration

Friday - November 9 2007 - 0936 PST - While we bantered about which is the "baddest" sportboat in the land this past week, we're pretty sure Jerome Smmarcelli, the US distributer of the Open 570, is going to vote for that one. Designed by Group Finot, the attractive 20 ft. racer is garnering a lot of attention since its US arrival a year ago.

Tomorrow in Long Beach California at the Alamitos Bay Yacht Club between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Jerome will be on hand with a bunch of 570s to demonstrate and talk about the virtues of the boat - dockside and under sail. Go to www.sailingsportboats.com for more info on the open 570 and other stuff too. Photo Pat Reynolds.

The Boss is Ready

Friday - November 9 2007 - 0918 PST - British yachtsman Alex Thomson and his Australian co-skipper Andrew Cape are making final preparations before the start of the inaugural Barcelona World Race. The double-handed non-stop race around the world race, the first ever of its kind, starts from Barcelona, Spain at 13:00 CET this Sunday, 11th November. Ahead of the competitors lies a 25,000 nautical mile voyage that will take them through some of the world’s most treacherous seas. HUGO BOSS is the only British yacht in the fleet, and Thomson is looking forward to flying the flag for the Brits, alongside eight other world class teams.

HUGO BOSS is a brand new IMOCA 60, the successor to the boat that Alex tragically lost in the Southern Ocean last November, during the Velux 5 Oceans race. The boat's first outing in the Rolex Fastnet Race earlier this year hinted at its obvious potential, as Thomson and Cape finished third in a very competitive Open 60 fleet, just weeks after the Formula 1 racing yacht hit the water. The duo has since been training in Gosport, UK, making minor tweaks to ensure the boat is perfectly tuned for the start in Barcelona.

Alex Thomson commented: "It has been a challenging journey to get to the start here in Barcelona and this will be one of the toughest races any of us have competed in. Capey and I have had a great start to our campaign with a good result in the Rolex Fastnet Race and we are really pleased with HUGO BOSS' performance so far.

The 2009 America's Cup Format

Friday - November 9 2007 - 0912 PST - Here is the event format and schedule for the next America's Cup (based on a 10 team scenario) providing it doesn't all change with the swing of a gavel:

Acts
End of June/ July 2008: Act 1, in Valencia (fleet & match race in ACC V5 yachts)
September 2008: Act 2, location in Europe tbc (fleet & match race in ACC V5 yachts)
April 2009: Act 3, in Valencia in AC90 (fleet race) (tbc)

Results from the Acts do not carry forward into the Trials. However, aside from the exposure and prestige gained, there are bonuses with regards to sail allocation for 2009. If teams compete in the 2008 Acts, they gain five sails on top of their 45 sail allocation for 2009. The overall winner of the 2008 Acts gains an additional two sails and the second placed competitor gains one extra sail.
Trials
- Round Robins 1 and 2
Starting on May 2nd 2009, they will result in a ranking that includes all Challengers and Alinghi. The six top ranked teams proceed into the Semi Final. The remaining teams proceed into a parallel fleet racing event called the 'Challenger Sail Off', the results of which go towards the final ranking and therefore the net surplus distribution.

- Semi Final
May/June 2009: Three Rounds of the Semi Final (between the top six teams of the Round Robins) will result in a Challenger ranking. Number 1 in the ranking goes straight to the Challenger Selection Final, whilst there will be a Repechage between the 2nd and 3rd placed Challengers. Alinghi moves to the parallel 'Secondary Series' at this stage.

Challenger Selection Series
The Challenger Selection Series starts in late June 2009 with the Repechage. The winner of this goes on to meet the top ranked Challenger in a best-of-seven Challenger Selection Final in July. The winner of the Challenger Selection Final becomes the Challenger and goes on to meet Alinghi in the America's Cup Match on the 18 July 2009.

Concurrent with the Challenger Selection Final, Alinghi and the newly eliminated Challengers race two Round Robins of a parallel event called the 'Secondary Series'. Results from this determine the final ranking of these Challengers.

The 33rd America's Cup Match
Starting on July 18th 2009, the best Challenger will face the Defender in a best of nine match race series.