Sailnews: Constant Angle To The Wind.

2010 Almanarre, Hyeres, Women’s Slalom World Tour Final – Day Five

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 10:00:00 +0200

Valerie Arrighetti claims the final event trophy of the year at the first ever all-women’s event in Almanarre, but it’s Karin Jaggi who takes home the 2010 world title on a perfect day on the Mediterranean coast.

Wall to wall sunshine and strong winds paved the way for champagne sailing on the final day of the women’s slalom season in Almanarre, allowing for the maximum number of eliminations to be raced in glamorous conditions.

The first few heats began in fairly light winds, but the rest were sailed like a white-knuckle ride, with plenty of crashes and hell raising top speeds. Races four, five, and six were the usual split fleet affair, with the top five from the first two heats going on to fight it out in the final. Race seven however was something special, which required a slightly different set of skills, to end the 2010 tour in spectacular style.

Arrighetti Holds All The Aces
The 2009 world champion, Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic) began the day in the perfect way to keep her immaculate event record showing a fistful of firsts. However, her nearest rival and current tour leader, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) kept piling on the pressure finishing just behind her to remain in contention. In third Lise Vidal (Exocet, North) showed off her skills to walk away with her best result of the week.

The Young Guns Steal The Show
The second sensational slalom saw Arrighetti go over early in her first faux pas of the event, clearing the way for Jaggi to take the advantage. However, a handful of youngsters led by the rising French star, Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North) - who hadn’t scored a bullet since Korea – stopped the legend in her tracks forcing her to settle for fourth. Following in Arutkin’s wake was the 2010 freestyle world champion, Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Gaastra), and transatlantic hopeful Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish) who both held off advances from the former world champion to finish in second and third respectively.

Jaggi Reaffirms Her Dominance
In the third race of the day, Jaggi pulled out all the stops, and with Arrighetti back in the winner’s final battle, stamped her authority on the entire fleet. The Swiss national was obviously enjoying the stronger winds, gritting her teeth and closing the slot to claim a convincing victory. Olivia Piana (Exocet, Loft) also found her form, fighting her way to an impressive second place, whilst local hero Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde) crossed the line just behind. Arrighetti may have only finished fifth in this race, but with her almost perfect previous scores she’d done enough to secure the final crown of the season.

A Final Full Fleet Showdown
Despite both the event crown and the title having already been determined, the all women’s finale finished in fine style with a full fleet battle featuring the fastest females on the planet. Race director, Juan Antonio Aragon and his team set a huge first leg, forcing the racers to attack the course from a different angle. Speed and endurance proved key to success, as did the ability to keep the board on the water in the rough conditions. The start was spectacular with seventeen sailors pushing as hard as they could, but it didn’t take long for the current tour leader to edge ahead and take the lead. Full of confidence from her previous win, Jaggi held her position ahead of Hebert and Piana to finish the season on a high at the front of the fleet.

Results
1st Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic)
2nd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
3rd Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North)
4th Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish)
5th Lise Vidal (Exocet, North)

2010 Overall Rankings
After four events around the globe, Karin Jaggi and Valerie Arrighetti finished the season on equal points forcing the tie break rules to come into effect. With two firsts a piece it came down to which sailor had the highest number of the next best thing. Jaggi had two seconds whereas Arrighetti had only a second and a ‘did not compete’ (Korea), making Jaggi the clear champion for 2010.

1st Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
2nd Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic)
3rd Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Gaastra)
4th Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North)
5th Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish)

Champion Sound
Karin Jaggi
“I’m absolutely stoked that I’ve won the world title this year, especially with it being on my new Patrik boards. It’s great for us to have won a world title in the brand’s first year. It was really close with Valerie, and in the end it came down to the discard, and the event that she missed. But, I think that’s all part of racing – you have to be prepared to go to all of the events, and give it 100% at every possible opportunity.

I’ve had a great time at this all-women’s final this week, despite starting it off with an illness. The strong winds made today really enjoyable, and the last race in particular was amazing with the very long first leg. I think it’s been an excellent end to a spectacular year on the women’s slalom tour, and this has been the best event by far! It was a little bit unfortunate that it clashed with a few other events around the world, so not everyone could join in, but I hope we can have the same event on the calendar next year, and that everyone will come.

I intend to continue racing on the tour in 2011, so you’ll see me back defending this world title. I’m going to be working on a few extra boards with Patrik Diethelm, so I should have a better set up. And, I’m sure my Severne sails will continue to evolve over the winter, so they should be even better too.”

Live GPS Tracking
The women were tracked around the racecourse by My Geo Live all week. Check out all seven eliminations HERE if you missed them.

Keep in the groove

VELUX 5 OCEANS BRINGS IN MEDICAL EXPERTS FOR 2010/11 RACE

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:04:00 +0200

Medical Support Offshore to provide emergency kits, training and 24/7 advice for skippers

Most people take for granted the medical care that is on offer to us in modern society. If we get sick, we can go to see a doctor or to a hospital and get professional help quickly. But what if you are alone in the middle of the ocean, thousands of miles from the nearest doctor? That is the reality facing the eight VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers as they race alone around the world through some of the most remote points known to man. As well as navigators, engineers, sailmakers and cooks, these brave men must also become their own doctors – and in extreme cases, surgeons - trained to recognise and treat any illness or ailment they might pick up during their epic solo circumnavigation. Whether it is an illness such as a fever or an infection, or a physical injury such as a broken bone, the ocean racers have no choice but to deal with it themselves.

The past 28 years of the VELUX 5 OCEANS are littered with examples of sailors who have had to deal with all manner of medical problems. During the 1998/9 race, Russian sailor Viktor Yazikov developed an excruciating infection in his elbow after injuring it on the first ocean sprint. In an amazing display of skill and composure, Yazikov performed open surgery on the infected wound, stopping the infection and ultimately saving his arm. He carried on racing and even beat some of the fellow competitors into port. Even before reaching the Bilbao startline in the last edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, New Zealand yachtsman Graham Dalton developed septicaemia during his qualification passage.

Back in the early days of solo ocean racing, sailors had no medical support whatsoever, save from their copy of the Ships Captain's Medical Guide. In 1969, no-one was on the end of a phone to help British sailing legend Sir Robin Knox Johnston when he got battery acid in his left eye, or excruciating stomach pains that later turned out to be appendicitis. Even in the original VELUX 5 OCEANS race, held in 1982, medical support was limited. In the 1986 edition of the race French yachtsman Jean Luc Van Den Heede sailed to the aid of Finnish competitor Pentti Salmi, giving him antibiotics after Salmi got blood poisoning from diesel fuel getting into a cut. In the Vendée Globe in 1992, Bertrand de Broc was left with no option but to take needle and thread to his own tongue following an accident.

Fortunately, although the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers may be alone in body, they are far from on their own should disaster strike. Thanks to modern communication technology a team of dedicated medical experts are on hand around the clock to make sure the skippers are given the best advice should something happen. For the 2010/11 edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS, this responsibility falls to Medical Support Offshore (MSOS), a team of incredibly experienced doctors trained in dealing with emergencies at sea. The team, comprising of founder Dr Spike Briggs, Dr Tommo Thomson and Dr Campbell Mackenzie, have worked on some of the toughest races in the world including the Volvo Ocean Race, the Artemis Transat and the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. They have also provided support to the biggest names in offshore racing including Dee Caffari, Brian Thompson, Sam Davies and Pete Goss.

“At any point at sea during the race, if the skippers have a medical problem, or even just want to chew things over, we are on the end of the telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” explained Dr Briggs. “This level of personal support has been transformed by the revolution in communication during the past 20 years or so. In case of injuries or other problems, the skippers can even send us photos which are a great help in targeting advice.

“We aim to be proactive in helping skippers to be as race-ready as possible, and to be reactive in helping them with any medical problems that will inevitably crop up from time to time. Our role could be seen as one of risk minimisation. Risk cannot be eradicated from deep ocean sailing, but it can be controlled, and consequently I think taking a responsible approach to ocean sailing is imperative. Medical support is part of responsible preparations, and in the event of an accident, it enables proper assessment of injured or sick crewmen, thus committing Search and Rescue resources only when they are really needed.”

Each of the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers will undergo an intense two-day training programme from the MSOS doctors, all experienced offshore sailors themselves, where they will be taught how to use the medical kits provided to them as well as the physical skills they will need when at sea. All seamen going offshore need to know what to do in the case of a medical emergency – but for the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers, they must face the daunting prospect of performing the skills they have learnt on themselves.

The MSOS team will also provide the VELUX 5 OCEANS with the design of the race medical kit, advice on medical preparation of the skippers, and tele-medical support for the duration of the race. A medical emergency at sea is among an ocean racer's biggest worries – but the VELUX 5 OCEANS skippers will rest easier knowing that medically, they are in the safest of hands.

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com

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2010 Almanarre, Hyeres, Women’s Slalom World Tour Final – Day Four

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:06:00 +0200

A gusty vent d’est teased a few of the women out onto the beautiful Mediterranean waters today, but failed to increase to a sufficient level for official competition to resume leaving the results unchanged.

With a promising outlook the world’s fastest fleet of female windsurfers were at the beach early preparing their gear for a day of tough racing. However, the wind refused to play ball, forcing the fleet to endure another lengthy period on hold, at times sitting in their wetsuits ready to hit the water at a moment’s notice.

Race director, Juan Antonio Aragon and his team made every effort to get the elite racers out on the water with a course set as soon as the flags showed any sign of wind in them, but it was just too gusty to allow for fair racing, and therefore had to be cancelled early in the evening.

Tomorrow is certain to be a historical day on this world-class beach with Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic) just 24 hours away from claiming her second event crown for the year at the first ever all-women’s PWA event. And, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) only a day away from taking home the 2010 world title which she’s already secured.

Results After 3 Races
1st Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic)
2nd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
3rd Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North)
4th Lise Vidal (Exocet, North)
5th Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde)
6th Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish)
7th Delphine Cousin (Fanatic, North)
8th Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Gaastra)
9th Ophelie Joly (Fanatic, North)
10th Marion Mortefon

Eye On The Horizon
The Mistral is set to kick in at some point tomorrow, and with any luck it’ll be before the day is over!

SOUND DEBUT FOR SINGULARITY

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:43:00 +0200

Competition at the Maxi Yacht Rolex Cup got underway today under bright blue skies and sufficient breeze to get the maxis off the start line cleanly. Singularity was in the first starting group of the day, launching off the line at 11.35 at the committee boat end. It was the perfect start for the Bouwe Bekking led racing crew.

Stepping ashore at the end of the thirty-nautical mile race that tracked outside the Maddelena archipelago to a top mark formed by the rocky outcrop of Barrettinelli di Fuori before returning to Porto Cervo inside the island chain, Bekking talked about the day: “ we had a very good day. Conditions were very tricky, but we had a fantastic start winning it, which is a good thing. The wind slowly started to increase and the big boat just disappeared. Highland Fling had the heels on us too and was very well sailed. But that’s the point of this week, figuring out the boat. The really good thing is that we executed our manoeuvres well and did not make any obvious mistakes.”

“The first part of the race was light. Then there was a big right-hand swing, followed by a big left-hand swing. Once we were past Monaci it became very stable and it was a fair race from there on. All points of sail are good for Singularity, but downwind is always nice because you make big mileage in no time. We were doing about 14…15 knots on the run and it’s always very pleasant to go nearly as fast as the wind.”

“Tomorrow will be a different scenario weather-wise, with the wind south-easterly. It is all pretty frontal and it looks like there is some nasty weather coming!”

Singularity is racing in the 6-boat Maxi Division comprising Racing and Racing/Cruising Maxis between 24 and 30.50-metres in length. She is the smallest boat in class, but second fastest according to her handicap rating of 1.652. Tomorrow, Tuesday, she will take part in another coastal course in and around the islands of the Maddelena archipelago.

Potential owners interested in learning more about the Singularity concept are welcome to contact:

Adrian Konyendyk
Lutra Yacht Design
T. +31 653 46 99 55
E. info@lutrayachtdesign.com

Bouwe Bekking
T. +45 2826 0055
E. bouwe.bekking@bekking.com

Oleg Gulinskiy
E. bedelbaeva_aigul@mail.ru

Media requiring more information about Singularity and access to high- resolution imagery should contact:

Giles Pearman
KPMS
T. +41 32 724 2829
M. +41 79 348 0023
E. giles@kpms.com

Old Scores to Settle at the Danish Open

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:41:00 +0200

Bornholm, Denmark - 7 September 2010 - The ISAF World Match Racing Tour heads to Denmark this week, with a new venue, Bornholm, an island on the Baltic Sea. Denmark has been a happy hunting ground for Danish match racing in the past eight years with no less than six victories recorded by Denmark's leading sailors. This year, the likes of Mathieu Richard (FRA) French Match Racing Team and Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing will head a pack of teams keen to redress the balance.

With the Danish Open being one of just two remaining events for teams to qualify for the Championship deciding Monsoon Cup, the 2010 Danish Open has all the hallmarks to be one of the most competitive and fiercely fought match racing contests of the year so far. Last year, the action was peppered with penalties and upsets, with the fierce race between Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing and Jes Gram Hansen
(DEN) Trifork Racing in the semi-final epitomising the heated nature of match racing.

Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing in action at the 2009 Danish Open

Gilmour, reflected: "The rivalries, the contentious decisions and moves in the heat of the moment, the bragging rights, up close action... they're what make match racing unique and the Danish Open so memorable! I've got scores to settle this year and I'll be looking to crank up our output in Bornholm to push YANMAR Racing up the Tour rankings."

In 2010, the Danish Open will shift location from the city of Aarhus to the 'Bright Green Island' of Bornholm where a melting pot of talent will compete for the honours from the 8 to 12 September. Six of the top seven teams in the 2010 ISAF World Match Racing Tour Championship are on the entry list, including current Tour leader, Mathieu Richard
(FRA) French Match Racing Team, defending World Match Racing Champion Adam Minoprio (NZL) ETNZ/BlackMatch Racing Team and Ben Ainslie (GBR) TEAMORIGIN - the triple Olympic gold medallist and skipper of Britain's America's Cup Challenger team. Four-time World Match Racing Champion Peter Gilmour (AUS) YANMAR Racing, former World Champion Bertrand Pacé (FRA) Aleph Sailing Team, Torvar Mirsky (AUS) Mirsky Racing Team, Francesco Bruni (ITA) Azzurra, Björn Hansen (SWE) Hansen Global Team complete the group of Tour Card Holders set to compete.

An exciting crop of Wildcard entries is headed up by local match racer, Mads Ebler (DEN) Ebler Match Racing Team, the young 20-year old William Tiller (NZL) Full Metal Jacket Racing Team, Susanne Ward (DEN) Team Ward and Michael Buckley (USA) MB Sailing.

The ISAF World Match Racing Tour is renowned for being the career pathway of the world's best match racers, many of whom have and will go on to compete in the America's Cup. The Danish Open comes off the back of the St. Moritz Match Race and is the 7th Stage in the epic 9 event Tour which includes races in France, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Sweden, Korea and Bermuda, culminating in November/December 2010 with the high-profile Monsoon Cup in Malaysia.

Danish Open Programme Broadcast Schedule

After all the action in St Moritz last week, all eyes are on the racers as the Danish Open kicks off this week. Will TEAMORIGIN be able to knock Mathieu Richard’s team from the top spot? You can find the answer to this and watch exclusive interviews with the top skippers in our highlights programme that will broadcast on channels including Sky Sports, Eurosport and CNBC in October.

*Eurosport* will broadcast the *Danish Open highlights programme on
13 October at 21.15 (CET). **Eurosport Asia / Pacific* will show the programme on *20 October at 14.45,* repeating it on* 27 October at
12.45.* *Sky Sports 3 will screen it at 18.00 on 22 October* and on *Sky Sports 4 at 20.00 on the 22 October.*

The Danish Open highlights show will be broadcast to 180 countries across the globe including CNBC, Eurosport, Setanta Africa, Showtime, Sky NZ, Sky Sports, Yacht and Sail International, Sevenload as well as America One, ESPN Star Sports, Sportsmax, Eurosport Asia Pacific, PCTV Mexico, Untamed Sports, Klarner Medien, G-TV Denmark, Band Sports Brazil, Teleclub Switzerland, The Outdoor Sports Channel and Melita Cable. View the latest TV schedule for all the races at: www.wmrt.com

WIN A SAIL TRIM TRAINING DAY WITH THE RYA’S ALL NEW SAIL TRIM HANDBOOK

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:00:00 +0200

To celebrate the launch of the all new RYA Sail Trim Handbook – for Cruisers, the book’s author and expert in the art of sail trimming, Rob Gibson, will provide one lucky reader and guest with a one-day training course courtesy of Poole Sailing Ltd.

The special one off training session will go hand in hand with all the advice and techniques Rob outlines in his new book which is designed specifically with the cruising yachtsman in mind.

An excellent choice for any novice sail trimmer with it’s easy to follow illustrations and entertaining manner, it’s crammed full of useful tips and pointers on this fundamental element of good seamanship, enabling better balance, easier handling and a more comfortable sail.

RYA Publications Manager Steen Ingerslev commented: “We are enhancing our Sail Cruising Handbook series with this title which makes sail trimming more accessible and understandable through Rob’s expert explanations and a raft of colourful illustrations.

“There is a wealth of knowledge in Rob’s ‘Top Tips’ alone, which are found all the way through the book. It will help give those cruising sailors who are looking for the knowledge and confidence to sit there and start tweaking the sails to see how much of a difference it can make.

“And if you enjoy the Sail Trim Handbook, watch out for RYA Yacht Techniques and other exciting titles coming in the spring.”

The RYA Sail Trim Handbook – for Cruisers will be officially launched at this year’s PSP Southampton Boat Show on Sunday 12 September at 12pm on the RYA stand (EO37). Author Rob Gibson will give visitors an overview of what they can expect from the book and will be available to answer any of your questions and to sign your copies of the book.

To be in with a chance of winning the sail trim training day with Rob all you need to do is purchase a copy of the new book and you’ll automatically be entered into the free prize draw.

RYA Sail Trim Handbook – for Cruisers is available through the RYA shop www.rya.org.uk/go/ryasailtrimhandbook or pick up a copy at the PSP Southampton Boat Show for just £12.99.

Competition ends 31 October 2010.

Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week - It's King Leon

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:41:00 +0200

Magnetic Island Race Week 2010 - The fourth annual regatta came down to the wire today. The last and for many divisions the deciding day of the fourth annual Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week 2010 started under beautiful blue skies with an eight to ten knots east nor east breeze blowing. At the last two Magnetic Island series Townsville sailor Leon Thomas has scored two second places. In 2008 Guilty Pleasures was second on IRC behind Wayne Millar's Zoe and in 2009 she was second in the Sports Class behind Patrick Stokes' Stoked. In the first ever Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week his boat was sunk on the start line and could not compete. The IRC and Performance Racing divisions were sent to race windward/leewards in Cleveland Bay. At the gun the chartered Sydney 38 Zen (Peter Sorensen), at that stage second in the regatta, got another good start and headed to the left where she got a nice shift to lead at the top mark. The breeze lifted to ten knots and was building, as at the bottom mark for the first time, Zen lead Guilty Pleasures III, Leon Thomas' Farr 30, the overall series leader and Wayne Millar's Zoe, in a lumpy seaway. Yesterday evening dockside Sorensen said 'Tomorrow we will be looking for more pressure to push the Farr 30 Guilty Pleasures III down the results list and give us the points gap to allow us to take out the regatta.' And push he did. Zen lead Zoe round the top mark with Guilty Pleasures well back today. A possible change on the Overall event leader board looked possible as Zen had the momentum in this race. Zoe split gybed and headed to the right looking for an advantage over her rivals. Zen lost ground on the left and possibly lost her chance to peg back Guilty Pleasures III, as the red shirted Farr 30 pushed towards the line. Further back in the IRC fleet Jeffrey Brown's 007 from the Whitsunday Sailing Club took a long time to get through Tracey and Gary McCarthy's Brilliant Pearl and Belinda Cooper's Groove. Brilliant Pearl picked the shifts well and hung onto 007 finishing just nine seconds back. On handicap Zen won from Guilty Pleasures III with Brilliant Pearl third. Going into the final IRC race, the series decider, Zen and Guilty Pleasures were equal on six points, with Zen leading on a count back. Possibly a fatal mistake from the former Australian National IRC Champion Sorensen, driving Zen towards the pin on the final race start she was early and out of runway. Sorensen had no choice but to spin back and crossed behind the entire fleet. Zoe led Guilty Pleasures III at the top mark for the first time in this three lap race. Half way down the first run, Zen was buried behind Quattro (Graham Donnell). Heads were down. Zoe was first to get the new breeze and extended her lead. Behind her Zen had just squeaked past Guilty Pleasures III but with the race half over Guilty Pleasures III was well ahead of Zen on handicap. If the Townsville skipper Thomas could avoid any mistakes it would be victory at last. Across the line Zoe won from Guilty Pleasures III, with Zen third. On handicap Guilty Pleasures won the race as expected, Brilliant Pearl came second ahead of 007 and Zen was fourth. The Overall results in IRC Grand Prix Division revealed Leon Thomas on his Farr 30 Guilty Pleasures III had won the Division. The skipper from the Townsville Cruising Yacht Club finished three points ahead of Peter Sorensen on board the Sydney 38 Zen, with Wayne Millar and his Townsville crew on Zoe completing the IRC podium. Tracey and Gary McCarthy on their Beneteau 34.7 Brilliant Pearl from the Mooloolaba Yacht Club came home strongly today finishing with a 3,2 to take fourth place in the regatta. Dockside Leon Thomas was very pleased. 'It's been a long road. My crew have been great and they deserve all the credit for this win. We have enjoyed the battle, we were lucky to have perfect conditions for our 30 footer this week.' Peter Sorensen was obviously disappointed to have come so close, but not quite made it across the line. 'My mistake on the start line and it was all over. 'However we've really enjoyed the competition and we are keen to be back in 2011.' In the Performance Racing Division Race 1 Dennis Coleman's Blazer 23 Diva had her first series handicap win from Michael Roper's Ropabull ahead of Doug Ryan's Magic. In Race 2 Phillip McGuire's Kachina won on handicap, with Donovan Deem's Let It Ride all the way from Western Australia second and Doug Ryan's Magic, third. Overall, however it was Mick Roper onboard Ropabull who took top honours in the Performance Racing Division. He piped Patrick Stokes' Stoked at the post, with Amaya 11 (Peter Boxall) third. The Cruising with Spinnaker and Cruising with Non Spinnaker Divisions were set course 25, the 16.5 nautical mile Launs Beach race, without a clearing mark. The picturesque course starts in Nelly Bay and heads across to Launs Beach across the shipping channel turns at the Q mark, with Orchid Rocks visible in the distance. At the turning mark, the wind had lifted to 10-12 knots. Whales had been reported in the area this morning, a common site in the waters around Magnetic Island at this time of year. Don Algie's Storm 2 finished the race taking line honours in Cruising Division 1 in a softening seven knot breeze. The balance of the fleet came down under spinnaker enjoying the sunshine and the bay scenery. On line honours Cyclone (Stephen Keal) finished in second place ahead of George Snow's Argo Blue. In Cruising Division 2 Fortified (Graham van Brederode) took line honours ahead of Redline with Upshot in third place. In the Multihull class Mal Tynan's Barberella took line honours ahead of Italina ( John Bohle) with School's Out (Bryan Beutel) third. School's Out clearly enjoyed their day as they returned to the marina with wide smiles and blasting out their theme song, what else but 'School's Out' forever. In the Non Spinnaker division Esprit, beat Aussie Rules on line honours with the series leader Peggy third. Results are provisional. - more quotations shortly. Full results www.magneticislandraceweek.com.au

2010 Almanarre, Hyeres, Women’s Slalom World Tour Final – Day Three

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:31:00 +0200

Another frustrating day on standby leaves the PWA’s hottest female racers eagerly anticipating the return of the wind!

With glorious blue skies and a light offshore breeze, sunbathing and swimming were the main activities in Almanarre today. A slight fluttering of the flags late in the afternoon caused the sailors to leap into action, but it wasn’t long before they resumed their positions, and lay in hope for racing another day.

After an entire day spent on standby, we took the opportunity to talk to long standing PWA racer and current tour leader, Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne) about the world famous destination of Almanarre. Having entered her first ever world cup here, returning to this beach brings back many special memories…

PWA: Tell us about your history with Almanarre.
KJ: “Well, my time at this beach goes back a lot further than my first ever world cup event, I actually learnt to windsurf properly around here. At first it was mostly on the other side of the bay, but I did come over here to Almanarre quite a lot too. And, by then it was already a world-renowned location with a history of hosting international events to the superstars of the sport such as Robby Naish (Naish, Naish), Anders Bringdal (Mistral), and Bjorn Dunkerbeck (Starboard, Severne, Mystic).”

PWA: When did you first enter an event here?
KJ: “1994.”

PWA: Wow, that’s almost two decades ago! Who was the local hero back then?
KJ: “Oh, it had to be Eric Thieme for sure. He was more famous for indoor events though than anything else.”

PWA: He was the French lunatic that used to wear the leopard print suits whilst racing in Bercy right?
KJ: “Yeah that was him! He actually has a windsurfing centre right here on the beach now.”

PWA: Has Almanarre always been about the racing?
KJ: “In competition, yes. We used to do course racing and slalom, but now it’s just slalom.”

PWA: What does Almanarre have to offer?
KJ: “First of all it’s a great spot to windsurf because the conditions vary so much, so you’ll never get bored. It can be light and offshore one day, to strong and cross-shore the next which also makes it a great place to train. It’s really close to Marseille as well, which is a fun city to visit, and the coastline here is beautiful. There are heaps of people that windsurf around here too, so there are always plenty of like minded people who love to watch the world cup when it’s in town.”

PWA: If someone came to visit during the season what sort of wind can they expect?
KJ: “There are two main winds, the Mistral which - if it is forecast - is almost guaranteed to be strong, and great for sailors who enjoy windsurfing in winds above force 4. The other wind comes from the East which can be strong too, but it’s not as reliable as the Mistral.”

PWA: Which do you prefer?
KJ: “For general sailing they can both be really good, especially if you have a car because you can drive to the other side of the peninsula, so you can always get clean onshore winds. Also, it doesn’t really matter which discipline you sail here, it can be great for speed, waves, and slalom. Plus it’s good for all ability levels.”

PWA: How would you rate Almanarre as a destination for a holiday?
KJ: “Within Europe it’s definitely one of my favourites because it’s easy to access by car so you can go on a good forecast from almost anywhere. The sailing is world-class, and it’s still not too expensive to stay directly on the beach because there are so many campsites, and small hotels. I’d recommend it to almost everyone apart from those in search of perfect waves. It’s a great destination for families too.”

Thanks for your time Karin, and lets hope the ‘vent de est’ or the Mistral return soon, so the locals can watch some more high-octane racing!

Results After 3 Races
1st Valerie Arrighetti (Tabou, Loft, Mystic)
2nd Karin Jaggi (Patrik, Severne)
3rd Alice Arutkin (Starboard, North)
4th Lise Vidal (Exocet, North)
5th Fanny Aubet (JP, NeilPryde)
6th Sarah Hebert (Naish, Naish)
7th Delphine Cousin (Fanatic, North)
8th Sarah-Quita Offringa (Starboard, Gaastra)
9th Ophelle Joly (Fanatic, North)
10th Marion Mortefon

Turkish Delight for Greeks and French in Tense 470 Finale

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:28:00 +0200

2010 470 Open European Championships
28 August - 6 September 2010, Istanbul Sailing Club, Istanbul, Turkey

With the great mosques of Istanbul providing the most dramatic of backdrops, the outcome of the 2010 Open 470 European Championships remained in the balance until the final leg of the men’s Medal Race.

Just five points separated the top six men’s 470 teams going into the Medal Race, and it was going to take an outstanding performance to secure gold. The Greeks were greeted with their favourite conditions - strong and gusty winds - and Panagiotis Mantis and Pavlos Kagialis took up the early running just ahead of Israel, represented by Gideon Kliger and Eran Sela.

Israel seized the advantage a short way into the three-lap windward/leeward course, although with the wind shifting wildly from side to side, no lead was every secure. On the final leg the Greeks pounced on a couple of small tactical errors by Israel and Mantis and Kagialis powered across the finish line just seconds ahead of Kliger and Sela.

Mantis explained his strategy after losing the early lead: “I focused on staying close, we got the lucky gust, and we moved to the front again.” Kliger, twice the runner-up in past European Championships, said he was “happy and disappointed” to have won a third silver in his long 470 career. “Gold was in my hands, so I’m a little bit disappointed, but I missed the layline at the last windward mark and gybed too late compared with the Greeks, we didn’t stay enough between him and the finish.”

Still, Kliger was happy to have come away with silver after a challenging week. “This is the hardest medal I ever won, you were never in control at any point in any race.” Istanbul marks the conclusion of a successful season sailing with his new crew Eran Sela. While for Kliger this was a bitter-sweet moment, for the younger and less experienced Sela it was unbridled joy. “My first senior medal in the 470, so I am very happy.”

The British team - Luke Patience and Stuart Bithell - had gone out with the gold spot on their mainsail, signifying them as the series leaders. They elected to start on port tack behind the fleet to be first into the middle of the race course, as Patience explained: “Before the start we’d been watching the wind, and it was always coming down the middle of the course, never at the edges. But then - sod’s law - the breeze died in the middle and we got wrapped round on either size, and before we knew it we were 9th or 10th, scraping the bottom of the barrel.”

>From sitting in gold medal position suddenly Patience and Bithell were facing the prospect of coming away with nothing. “But we kept our heads cool and just chipped away,” said Patience, whose climb to 5th place gave them the bronze medal. “We would like to have won but we’re still happy to come away with a medal.”

The women’s leaderboard may not have been as tight as the men’s, although there was still plenty of drama and uncertainty on the race course, with capsizes and boats hitting marks keeping the finishing order uncertain until the last. While the Danes had fallen out of medal contention after an unsteady outing the previous day, Henriette Koch and Lene Sommer gave themselves the consolation of winning the Medal Race. They nearly threw it away on an unforced error, hitting the final windward mark, but managed to take their 360 penalty turn in a strong gust and still stay ahead of the British boat sailed by Sophie Weguelin and Sophie Ainsworth.

Series leaders Emmanuelle Rol and Helene Defrance also struck a windward mark and took a penalty, but apart from that sailed a controlled race ahead of their chief medal rivals. In the end the French won gold by 18 points, a dominant performance for such a tricky week’s sailing. “The conditions were a little bit tough,” said Rol, “but we enjoy racing in these conditions. I don’t know if we understood the wind but we enjoyed it. Istanbul has been great. After Holland and Great Britain it’s nice to sail in a sunny place!”

Camille Lecointre and Mathilde Geron had been lying in silver medal position at the beginning of the day, but a poor first beat left them way back in last, and they only managed to overtake the Israeli team who retired after a prolonged capsize. This relegated the French team to 4th overall, with last year’s European Champions Giulia Conti and Giovanna Micol taking silver and another French duo, Ingrid Petitjean and Nadege Douroux taking bronze.

Conti, who had looked so furious the previous day after letting any serious prospect of gold slip away, was all smiles again today having at least salvaged a silver from Istanbul. “Finally some success again, after a couple of days of blackout,” she said. “It has been a really tough race course, very tricky, but the French seemed to sail perfectly. They deserved this win, they made fewer mistakes than the others, and they have won this event by far. For us the silver medal is a very good result after a very good season. We have finished in the top three in almost every event, and now we go home for the winter to work out what we need to improve on for next year.”

Earlier in the day the remainder of the 92 competing teams who had not qualified for the Medal Races, completed one final fleet race. Reigning Junior World and European Champions Sofian Bouvet and Jeremie Mion of France secured victory in the men’s Silver fleet.

This evening the prizegiving took place at Istanbul Sailing Club, before the sailors embarked on the long drive back to whichever corner of Europe they have come from. As for the new men’s 470 European Champion, Panagiotis Mantis predicted a night that would involve too much alcohol and not enough sleep. “And maybe when we get back to Greece we will break some plates!”

The 2010 Open 470 European Championships were organised by The Istanbul Sailing Club in co-operation with the International 470 Class Association and the Turkish Sailing Federation.

470 Men/Mixed – Final Top 10 (after 13 races)
Pos - SailNo - Crew
1. GRE 1 - Panagiotis MANTIS, Pavlos KAGIALIS
2. ISR 7 - Gideon KLIGER, Eran SELA
3. GBR 844 - Luke PATIENCE, Stuart BITHELL
4. GRE 165 - Panagiotis KAMPOURIDIS, Theodoros POLYCHRONIDIS
5. FRA 44 - Pierre LEBOUCHER, Vincent GAROS
6. CRO 83 - Sime FANTELA, Igor MARENIC
7. ESP 9 - Onán BARREIROS RODRÍGUEZ, Aarón SARMIENTO PADILLA
8. FRA 7 - Nicolas CHARBONNIER, Baptiste MEYER-DIEU
9. RUS 2 - Mikhail SHEREMETYEV, Maxim SHEREMETYEV
10. NED 77 - Steven LEFEVRE, Steven KROL

470 Women - Final Top 10 (after 13 races)
Pos - SailNo - Crew
1. FRA 12 - Emmanuelle ROL, Hélène DEFRANCE
2. ITA 23 - Giulia CONTI, Giovanna MICOL
3. FRA 4 - Ingrid PETITJEAN, Nadege DOUROUX
4. FRA 9 - Camille LECOINTRE, Mathilde GERON
5. DEN 143 - Henriette KOCH, Lene SOMMER
6. AUT 431 - Sylvia VOGL, Carolina FLATSCHER
7. EST 20 - Marjaliisa UMB, Elise UMB
8. GBR 840 - Sophie WEGUELIN, Sophie AINSWORTH
9. GBR 847 - Hannah MILLS, Claire CUMMING
10. ISR 311 - Gil COHEN, Dana MAMRIEV

US OCEAN RACER SETS SAIL FOR VELUX 5 OCEANS START

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:33:00 +0200

Brad Van Liew bids farewell to Charleston and heads 5,600 kms to La Rochelle

AMERICAN ocean racer Brad Van Liew will today wave goodbye to his family, friends and supporters for the first of many times over the next nine months as he sets sail bound for La Rochelle, the home of the VELUX 5 OCEANS. Today is Labor Day in the USA, a national holiday, and hundreds of wellwishers are expected to turn out to give the 42-year-old a special send off from his home town of Charleston, South Carolina.

Onboard his high-tech Eco 60 racing yacht Le Pingouin, the 42-year-old will slip his moorings at Seabreeze Marina at 11 AM EST / 4 PM BST / 5 PM CEST to the cheers of the watching crowd before making his way through the harbour out into the open sea bound for France. Some 5,600 kilometres of Atlantic Ocean sailing stand between Brad and the official VELUX 5 OCEANS start line in La Rochelle.

The departure is expected to watched by hundreds of locals but those who don't live in Charleston can watch all the action live via http://www.oceanracing.org/LIVE.html

Coverage will start from the dockside at 9 AM EST / 2 PM BST / 3 PM CEST and will capture the emotional farewells before continuing across the harbour and out beyond the breakwater as Brad sets off on the voyage that will qualify him for the VELUX 5 OCEANS. The coverage will be presented by Brad's clothing partner Gill.

The qualifying sail will serve as a last chance to test electronics, sails, communication systems and hardware before Brad and his seven fellow ocean racers begin their 55,000-kilometre journey alone around the planet. This edition of the VELUX 5 OCEANS will be Brad's third, having raced in the 1998/9 and 2002/3 editions, winning class two in the latter race. Recently Brad's Team Lazarus secured associate sponsorship from international sail training company ONDECK, who will also be the official source of Team Lazarus/Le Pingouin merchandise.

Belgian ocean racer Christophe Bullens is currently rounding the tiny island of Flores, the most westerly in the Azores archipelago, marking the halfway stage of his qualifying passage onboard his Eco 60 Five Oceans of Smiles. The remaining ocean racers are entering the final preparation stage ahead of their qualifying passages before converging in La Rochelle in early October ahead of the race start on October 17.

The VELUX 5 OCEANS, run by Clipper Ventures PLC, is the longest running solo round the world race, and has 28 years of rich heritage as the BOC Challenge and then the Around Alone. This edition features five ocean sprints over nine months. After setting off on October 17 from La Rochelle to Cape Town, the race will then take in Wellington in New Zealand, Salvador in Brazil and Charleston in the US before returning back across the Atlantic to France.

Please visit www.velux5oceans.com

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