Superyacht News

Race 3 of Clipper 09-10 gets underway in Rio de Janeiro

2009-10-28T06:37:00.003Z

Press Release - 27 October 2009
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

From one mountain to another... the ten yachts competing in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race have started the next leg of the epic 35,000-mile global challenge, leaving behind the iconic Rio backdrop of Sugar Loaf Mountain for the race towards Cape Town, where Table Mountain dominates the skyline.

The 3,300-mile Race 3 will take the teams across the South Atlantic, dipping south towards the Roaring Forties and the treacherous seas of the South Atlantic, before approaching the notorious Cape of Good Hope at the end of the course.

The Brazilian sunshine which had shone so strongly all week was absent as the teams departed the Iate Clube do Rio and headed out into Guanabara Bay. With 12 to15 knots from the south, low cloud cover and heavy rain, the crews donned their waterproofs and hoisted their sails in preparation for the race start.

At 1511 local time (1711 GMT) the horn sounded across the bay for the start of Race 3. Race 2 winners Team Finland and Hull & Humber were the only two boats to opt for their Yankee 1, the largest of the upwind headsails, with the rest of the fleet opting for their Yankee 2 as the ten boats made for the start line. The choice paid dividends for Team Finland who crossed the line first just ahead of Uniquely Singapore and Spirit of Australia.

As the fleet made their way round the final mark at the end of Rio’s Copacabana beach and turned towards the African continent positions had altered considerably. Cape Breton Island had moved into the lead, closely followed by California and Spirit of Australia. Lying in fourth was Caribbean entry, Jamaica Lightning Bolt with Hull & Humber in fifth. Having made an excellent recovery from a disastrous race start, Edinburgh Inspiring Capital had moved up to sixth place with Team Finland, Uniquely Singapore and Cork in seventh, eighth and ninth place respectively. Bringing up the rear was Chinese entry, Qingdao, but, with more than 3,300 miles to go to Cape Town, these places are likely to change many times during the next two weeks of racing.

The Rio stopover has been a challenging one, none more so than for the crew of California. They have had just 58 hours to prepare for the start of the next leg after arriving in the early hours of Sunday morning. A herculean effort by California’s crew, including those who were waiting to join the yacht who had bought and bagged all the food supplies for the next race, and members of other teams who rallied around in support, has ensured that the yacht and her crew are ready to go.

The race to Cape Town should be much faster than the last one to Rio and the teams will be able to take advantage of the mountainous South Atlantic rollers to speed them on their way – provided they avoid the centre of the South Atlantic High Pressure system. After the light winds of Race 2, the skippers and tacticians will be very wary of getting too near to any wind holes that could slow them down.

Uniquely Singapore’s skipper, Jim Dobie, says, “I’m excited about the heavy winds and big seas coming up which is something I’m used to. Hopefully we’ll have more wind than on the first leg so I’m feeling pretty confident. We’ll be looking to dip down south to get as much breeze as we can whilst being mindful not to cover too much distance.”

Piers Dudin, skipper of Hull & Humber, is expecting a fast race to Cape Town. “You’ll see the level in racing really step up now,” he says. “The crews are getting pretty hot on trimming and driving the boats. It’s going to be a feisty run into Cape Town and barring any major damage I’m expecting most of the boats to get in within 12 hours of each other. We’re looking at a really tight race with a lot of slight variations in routes that will make a big difference to speed.”

Speed is one thing the crew of Jamaica Lighting Bolt know about. The team is named after the world’s fastest man, double world record holder and Olympic champion, Usain Bolt, and their result in Race 2 gave them Jamaica’s first ever podium position in the Clipper Race.

The sprinter has sent the team a message of support, “I would like to congratulate the crew of Jamaica Lightning Bolt for their very credible placing. I am happy that my name is associated with success and it can only get better. I am honoured to have the vessel named after me and so, therefore, it is important that the level of performance be maintained. I am excited at this opportunity and I am sure you are, too. I would therefore like to wish you all the best.”

With just two of the 14 individual races that comprise Clipper 09-10 completed, the race standings show that the competition is still wide open. Just a point separates the leader, Spirit of Australia, and second placed Team Finland. Jamaica Lightning Bolt, Cork, Ireland and Cape Breton Island all have 14 points each while Qingdao and Uniquely Singapore, with seven points a-piece, are just four points behind sixth placed Hull & Humber and only just ahead of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital and California. The Formula 1-type scoring system, which awards points according to the results achieved on each race, means all ten crews have an equal chance of a place on the podium in Cape Town.

Joining Cork, Ireland, for the race to his home town is young South African sailor, Marlon Jones, from Izivunguvungu Sailing Academy in Cape Town. The Academy was established by one of the major investors in South Africa’s America’s Cup syndicate, Team Shosholoza, in order to give underprivileged youngsters the opportunity to get out on the water and make a difference to their lives through sailing. Marlon, 20, has proved himself a major talent and represented South Africa in the 2009 Laser SB3 World Championships where he and his team finished second.

For two of the Clipper 09-10 skippers, Eero Lehtinen of Team Finland and California’s Pete Rollason, the race to Cape Town will be a particularly emotional one as both men have made the city their home. Their families will be waiting on the quayside at Royal Cape Yacht Club to welcome them and their teams to South Africa.

The 180 crew taking part on this leg of Clipper 09-10 aren’t the only ones getting ready to set sail for Cape Town. More than 51,000 people are competing in the Virtual Race on www.clipperroundtheworld.com and they will set off from Rio to Cape Town at exactly the same time – racing across the South Atlantic on their computer screens.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race
The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race started on 13 September from the Humber on the UK’s east coast and return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. More than 40 nationalities an 230 professions are represented by crew competing in Clipper 09-10. Crew can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more legs. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

Standings after Race 2
1. Spirit of Australia ....................... 21 points
2. Team Finland ............................ 20 points
3. Jamaica Lightning Bolt ............. 14 points
4. Cork ........................................... 14 points
5. Cape Breton Island ................... 14 points
6. Hull & Humber ......................... 11 points
7. Qingdao ...................................... 7 points
8. Uniquely Singapore ................... 7 points
9. Edinburgh Inspiring Capital ..... 5 points
10. California .................................. 3 points

For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

For media information or interviews please contact:

Zoe Williamson, Communications Manager (in Rio de Janeiro, GMT -2)
Local Mobile: +55 21 8250 9210
UK Mobile: +44 (0) 7793 417 751
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: zwilliamson@clipper-ventures.com

Heather Ewing, Communications Manager
Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

Visitors, users and viewers of the content to which this notice is attached may copy it for re-use and syndicate the content by whatever means for use to other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following notice.
www.superyachtnews.blogspot.com 2009
www.ajaxnetphoto.com 2009
This content may NOT be used in any print media made available for commercial resale.
The products and companies named in this website content are trademarks, registered trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners or licensed users.

Second victory for Team Finland in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race

2009-10-19T23:44:00.003+01:00

Press Release 19 October, 2009
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Team Finland has taken line honours in Race 2 from La Rochelle to Rio de Janeiro of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race. Crossing the line at 16:00:36 local time (18:00:36 GMT) their latest victory makes it two out of two for the Scandinavian entry.

“Race 2 was a very balanced and professional performance from Team Finland,” says skipper Eero Lehtinen. “Crew work has been way above my expectations and we are well ahead of the game. Our watch leaders Minke Docter and Emil Vartiainen have been great and their assistants Barry Anderson and Andy Philips never took their eyes off the ball.

“The whole team has worked without a word of complaint, in the extreme heat, under pressure from competition, in the long hours with no wind and no boat speed, during the endless sail changes and trimming. Mark Cole has not only been a great navigator but also performed as King Neptune, a gourmet chef and round the clock boat entertainer.”

In a race which has been marked by light winds, Team Finland took an early lead out of La Rochelle but soon lost it by sailing into a wind hole as the fleet rounded Cape Finisterre. The fleet then headed on a westerly course towards the scoring gate south of the Canary Islands in an attempt to take the first points of Race 2. As weather forecasts indicated light winds across the 90 nautical mile long gate, Team Finland made the decision to bail out and focus on a ten point win into Rio. It proved to be the defining moment of Team Finland’s race, as they regained the lead and held it all the way to the line.

Race Director, Joff Bailey, says, “It took several days for Team Finland’s tactical move to pay off, but pay off it did. They took the lead which they have now held for nearly three weeks and at times have been ahead of their nearest competitor by more than 150 nautical miles. Their passage across the Doldrums was faultless and they hardly lost any miles at all. All they then needed to do was to get across the finish line which nearly caused an upset as light winds reduced their lead down to less than 50 miles. But this was enough to take line honours and Team Finland is worthy the winner of Race 2.”

Periods of light winds have dogged the fleet for the first trans-Atlantic crossing of Clipper 09-10. With virtually no wind at the start in La Rochelle, around the Canary Islands and for half the boats through the Doldrums, the normally reliable trade winds have also been lighter than expected. As the fleet neared its final destination of Rio de Janeiro, once again light conditions brought the leading boats to a near halt.

A three way battle has been taking place behind Team Finland for the final two podium positions and at one point it looked as though a Finnish victory may not be guaranteed. Spirit of Australia has led the charge and if the Australian team takes second place they will retain their position as overall race leaders. Both Cape Breton Island and Jamaica Lightning Bolt have also been chasing hard with their positions swapping regularly over the final week of Race 2. Cork is still not out of the race for a podium and the team from Ireland has kept further east in the hope of picking up stronger winds further offshore and closing the gap on the front runners.

The Clipper 09-10 Race Committee has announced a shortened course for Race 2 from La Rochelle to Rio de Janeiro. The amended Sailing Instructions has given the teams 24 hours notice of the shortened course and the final positions will be taken at midday GMT on Tuesday 20 October. Those teams that have crossed the finish line will be awarded the relevant finishing position, while the others will be awarded the position based on their distance to finish at that time.

This is a standard procedure used in both ocean racing and around the cans events and is called into play by race organisers who must ensure they meet the goals of the teams, the spectators and the overall event.

The decision is not one that was taken lightly. In all around the world yacht races, the first priority is the safety of the crews and their boats and this is most certainly the case with the Clipper Race. Race 3 is due to start on Tuesday 27 October and it is important from the point of view of good seamanship that the teams get the opportunity to prepare themselves and their boats correctly for the next stage of the race, which will take them towards the Southern Ocean on the way to Cape Town, South Africa.

Once finished, the teams will make their way by fastest means, through a combination of using their engines and sailing, to the Iate Clube do Rio de Janeiro, which will host the fleet for the duration of the stopover.

First priority on arriving in port will be to clean the yacht and begin the routine maintenance required to keep the boats in peak performance condition, as well as catching up on much needed sleep and food other than the tinned and dried variety on offer at sea. The victuallers must also ensure their yacht is fully stocked for the next 3,385-mile race to Cape Town.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race
The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race started on 13 September from the Humber on the UK’s east coast and will return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. Crew can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more legs. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

For media information or interviews please contact:

Zoe Williamson, Communications Manager (in Rio de Janeiro, GMT -2)

Local Mobile: +55 21 8250 9210
UK Mobile: +44 (0) 7793 417 751
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: zwilliamson@clipper-ventures.com

Heather Ewing, Communications Manager
Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

Visitors, users and viewers of the content to which this notice is attached may copy it for re-use and syndicate the content by whatever means for use to other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following notice.
www.superyachtnews.blogspot.com 2009
www.ajaxnetphoto.com 2009
This content may NOT be used in any print media made available for commercial resale.
The products and companies named in this website content are trademarks, registered trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners or licensed users.

Magnificent start for Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race

2009-09-14T22:45:00.003+01:00

Press Release
13 September 2009
Hull, Yorkshire, UK

More than 100,000 people lined the banks of the Humber to watch the start of the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race today. As the cannon fired, the ten internationally sponsored yachts crossed the start line at 1400 BST (1300 GMT) to the roar of the crowds at the beginning of their 35,000-mile challenge.

Edinburgh Inspiring Capital led the charge across the line, followed by the Irish entry, Cork, and Spirit of Australia. The first race takes the fleet from the east coast of the UK to La Rochelle, France. The northerly breeze at the start and the weather conditions forecast for the next few days indicate that the 780-mile race will be a fast one.

By the time the fleet had rounded the second mark Cork had overtaken the Scottish boat, Team Finland had moved up from sixth place to second and Edinburgh Inspiring Capital had dropped back to third.

Before the race start the world renowned RAF display team, the Red Arrows, drew gasps and applause with their display of precision flying, the Hawk jets flying just two metres apart during some of the formations. On the ground the Band of the Royal Marines played as the home team, Hull & Humber, left Hull Marina to join the rest of the fleet on the river.

Addressing the tens of thousands of people who had turned up to witness the spectacle, Terry Hodgkinson, Chairman of Hull & Humber’s sponsor, Yorkshire Forward, said, “This event is about much more than sailing. It’s about bringing in trade and tourism to Britain and, in particular, to a place on the Humber. It’s great to see so many people having such a grand time.

“May I give my best wishes to al the crews and wish them the very best of luck. I hope that we can do better with our boat than we did last time, but it’s not about winning it’s about changing people’s lives. That’s why we have invested in it and I’m very proud to be the chairman of the organisation that has put money into this. I want to say a big thank you and watch out for the gun at the start!”

The Clipper Race is the only race in the world where the crews come from all walks of life, all ages and with all levels of experience. Prior to their training, some 40 percent of the crews had never stepped aboard a sailing yacht before. Race start day was an emotional experience for the crew and their families and friends who had come to support them on their challenge of a lifetime.

Skipper of the home team, Piers Dudin, said, “This has been a fantastic week, not only for us but for the whole fleet. Hull and Humberside should be really proud of the show that they have put on. I would like to say a big thanks to Terry Hodgkinson, Dan Wilkinson and the team at Yorkshire Forward for all the work they have put in.

“Danny Watson (skipper of Hull & Humber, Clipper 07-08) and his team did really well last year and so he hasn’t done us any favours this time round with their second place performance. He has established a really strong legacy with Hull & Humber and it is something that we will keep working on.”

Ahead lies a ten-month-long, 35,000-mile course that will take the race to France before crossing to Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Singapore, China, California, Panama, Jamaica, New York, Cape Breton Island, Cork and the Netherlands. The race will make its triumphant return to the Humber on 17 July 2010.

The Clipper Race is the brainchild of legendary yachtsman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail non-stop single handed around the world. He wanted to open the sport of long distance sailing to all and allow others to experience the challenges of ocean racing.

“The reception on the Humber has been simply fantastic,” said Sir Robin. “The enthusiasm from the city, Yorkshire Forward and, most especially, from the people has been incredible. It is wonderful to see the interest they are taking in ordinary people going out to do something quite extraordinary.”

More than 400 crews have signed up for Clipper 09-10. Some will complete a full circumnavigation while others will race one or a combination of the seven legs available.

Each Clipper yacht is entered by a city, region or country and sponsors use the event to showcase themselves to the world. On the last running of the Clipper Race, more than 212 million people worldwide followed the adventure through television, print media, radio and online.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race
The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race started on 13 September from the Humber on the UK’s east coast and return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. Crew can sign up for the whole circumnavigation or one or more legs. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

Order of teams across the start line.

First: Edinburgh Inspiring Capital
Second Cork
Third Spirit of Australia
Fourth Jamaica Lightning Bolt
Fifth Cape Breton Island
Sixth Team Finland
Seventh California
Eighth Hull & Humber
Ninth Uniquely Singapore
Tenth Qingdao

For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

For media information or interviews please contact:

Zoe Williamson, Communications Manager
Mobile: +44 (0) 7793 417 751
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: zwilliamson@clipper-ventures.com

Heather Ewing, Communications Manager
Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

Visitors, users and viewers of the content to which this notice is attached may copy it for re-use and syndicate the content by whatever means for use to other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following notice.
www.superyachtnews.blogspot.com 2009
www.ajaxnetphoto.com 2009
This content may NOT be used in any print media made available for commercial resale.
The products and companies named in this website content are trademarks, registered trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners or licensed users.

Anchors aweigh for Scotland's newest, most prestigious marina

2009-08-25T23:53:00.003+01:00

Press Release: Portavadie Marina - Wednesday 26 August ,2009

A blot on the landscape created by the oil boom of the 1970s is to be turned into a £45million pound world-class tourist destination in the west of Scotland.

The first phase of the new 230-berth, deep-water, state-of-the-art Portavadie Marina complex and resort will be officially opened today (Wed) by Jim Mather, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism.

Built on the site of a former 1970s oil-rig construction yard which never opened Portavadie Marina aims to provide some of the highest quality facilities in the UK for sailors, walkers, mountain bikers, golfers and other outdoor leisure enthusiasts.

The opening of the marina comes at a time when Scotland is experiencing a boom in sailing as marine leisure activities are now second only to golf in attracting revenue from tourism.

According to the latest figures from the Scottish Boating Alliance and VisitScotland golf attracts an estimated £300million a year to the national economy, closely followed by sailing and boating which brings in around £275million. Walking is said to be worth £240 million, mountaineering around £104 million and mountain biking £35 million.

Owners Portavadie Estates Ltd, have so far spent around £18million on the first phase of the development, including the marina, restaurant, accommodation and luxury facilities which will eventually create more than 100 jobs.

The 12 metre deep lagoon, which is situated directly east across Loch Fyne from the village of Tarbert, provides fully serviced berths for almost any size of leisure craft. There are also a variety of shore side benefits, including luxurious showers and toilets, a launderette, drying room and a number of self-catering family apartments and cottages for between two and eight persons.

"The facilities are second to none," said Robert Kitchin, manager of the marina which is just one and a half hours by road from Glasgow.

"We are in an ideal spot to attract people looking to explore the west coast of Scotland with easy access to Largs, Kip, Troon, Ardrossan, Arran and Northern Ireland."

The marina's quality bar and restaurant, winner of the Benromach Nautical Restaurant and Bar of the Year 2009 at the Scottish Licensed Trade Awards, provides a wide menu of high quality delicacies, including Loch Fyne seafood, locally shot game and produce prepared by Chef Steven Gilroy who recently joined the marina from The Hilton Hotel in Dunkeld.

The 100 acres marine resort is situated among some of the most picturesque scenery in the world and great care has been taken to preserve and enhance the environment.

"Portavadie is unlike any other marina, not just on the Clyde coast but beyond, throughout Britain," said Brian Stewart of Stewart Associates, architects for the project.

"We have tried to create something special, a landmark building which has more of a Mediterranean feel to it rather than a traditional British marina.

"The restaurant, offices, board room, function suites and high-level viewing terrace all overlook the marina in a series of interlinking glass and stone buildings which are extremely environmentally friendly.

"The buildings are highly insulated and designed in such a way that they don't need a lot of energy because it's naturally lit and ventilated. The heating is all under floor and the LED lighting system, the first of its kind in Europe, is very, very energy efficient."

Wherever possible, local materials, suppliers and craftsmen have been used to create the show-piece development.

"We've used a lot of local firms. That's part of our sustainability approach," said Mr Stewart.

"It's all very well trying to use as much local materials as you can but if you bring in contractors from far away then it's not of great benefit to the local economy. We have tried to maintain as much of the construction and supply work within the Argyll area as possible."

Much of the appeal of Portavadie is that it is designed to be a year round destination for all types of visitors, whether they want to stay for a few weeks or a few hours.

"Portavadie is more than a marina. The idea is to create a destination which will appeal all year round to walkers, mountain bikers, golfers, horse riders, fishermen, divers and wildlife watchers as well as sailors," said Iain Jurgensen, General Manager.

"Everybody is more than welcome to enjoy what nature has given us - a wonderful view. On a clear night the stars are absolutely stunning and seeing the sunset across the loch is phenomenal.

"It's a beautiful part of the world and somewhat of a wee secret gem. There are a lot of people who have still to discover what we have to offer."

Minister for Tourism Jim Mather described the Portavadie Marina complex as an exemplar development.

"This marina development will really put Portavadie on the sailing map," said Mr Mather.

"The new pontoons, restaurant and bar and viewing terraces are a welcome addition for all those marine-based visitors and the proposed tourist hostel and letting apartments will further boost the local economy."

Visitors, users and viewers of the content to which this notice is attached may copy it for re-use and syndicate the content by whatever means for use to other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following notice.
www.superyachtnews.blogspot.com 2009
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This content may NOT be used in any print media made available for commercial resale.
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Coutts Quarter Ton Cup 2009

2009-07-19T19:10:00.003+01:00

RCYC Cowes, England: Press Release - 18 July 2009

Peter Morton Wins Final Day Showdown At Coutts Quarter Ton Cup

There was a cliff-hanger ending to the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup in Cowes today as husband and wife adversaries Louise and Peter Morton faced each other down in a veritable gunfight at the OK Coral that was ultimately decided by just one second and half a point. Sailing their Farr designed sister-ships Espada and Anchor Challenge they went into the final day with Louise leading the regatta by 4.5 points from Peter.

The race committee exercised their right to run additional races if conditions permitted and laid on three final races making a total of ten with one discard. With the south-westerly wind ranging from 20-25 knots and occasional gusts up towards 30 the race committee set up shop over the Ryde Bank giving choppy wind over tide conditions and plenty to challenge the navigators.

In the battle of the Mortons Peter's Anchor Challenge won the opening salvo taking second place in race eight, a windward leeward, behind Howard Sellars and Mike Till's Bullet with Rob Gray's Aguila third and ASAP, owned by the Layton/Christie/Crawford/Churchill partnership fourth. Louise in Espada did not fare so well with an incident on the first beat and some confusion over their first mark approach and as a result finished the race in eighth place, her worst result of the series, putting Anchor Challenge half a point ahead in the overall standings.

For race nine the committee varied the course a little to add some close reaching and while Aguila romped to victory Anchor Challenge and Espada were scrapping away for second and third place. At the finish it was too close for the crews to call the corrected times and so they went into the final race unclear who was leading overall.

With everything still to play for the Committee set a longer round the cans final race finishing off Cowes and from the outset Espada and Anchor Challenge were neck and neck battling it out with Bullet and Aguila. The first few legs were relatively short mixing beats, three and two sail reaches and as the fleet rounded the final mark before the long beat back to Cowes Espada and Anchor Challenge were within seconds of each other. Initially everyone headed up the Bramble Bank, seeking shelter from the tide, but about half way up Anchor Challenge broke ranks and tacked off for the Island shore leaving Aguila to head the pack, including Espada, on the mainly port tack drag to the western end of the Bramble. It was a brave move by Anchor Challenge and it was only on the final approach to the line that it became clear it had made little difference. Aguila took the line honours to win the race, her second win of the day, with Bullet taking second on corrected time, Espada third and Anchor Challenge fourth just six seconds behind her.

As the crews came ashore it was still unclear who had won the regatta. Who ever had the upper hand in race nine had the series so there was a mad dash for the Royal Corinthian Yacht Club where trusty scorer Jo Chugg finally delivered the news that Anchor Challenge had beaten Espada by just one second on corrected time meaning that Anchor Challenge wins the 2009 Coutts Quarter Ton Cup by a mere half point with Espada second, Bullet third, Aguila fourth and ASAP fifth.

For Louise and her young team of Vicky Lenz, Colette Blair, Libby Deegan, Josie Gibson and Mike Edmonds it was a huge disappointment, but as she joked at the prize giving "It's probably better at home this way!" For Peter, sailing with Kelvin Rawlings, John Newnham, Jules Salter and Jason Carrington, this was his second Coutts Quarter Ton Cup win, his first being with Espada in 2007. At the prize giving Peter thanked the Race Committee and the Royal Corinthian for their sterling work before paying tribute to all the competitors for a wonderful regatta and thanking his own crew for getting him out of a number of tight situations. He closed by asking ruefully, "Does anyone have a spare room I can use tonight?"

Alongside the main prizes there are also a number of special awards presented at the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup:

The Ruff-As-Gutz Trophy is a legend of the event and is traditionally awarded to the boat that Quarter Ton Class Chairman Peter Morton judges to be the scruffiest in the fleet. This year Morty decided it shouldn't go to a boat as they were all far too well turned out and not one of them truly deserved it, so instead he looked around for an individual who might be worthy of the title. After much careful consideration he was delighted to confirm that he had indeed found a worthy recipient. With the unanimous agreement of the assembled fleet the trophy was awarded to Mark Brammer of Shamu, who travelled all the way from Blackpool for the event and having played a leading role in the revelries at last night's Gala Dinner, was last seen staggering up the road asking everyone he passed where he lived! It's still not entirely clear whether he ever made it home.

For the second year running the Oldest Bowman Trophy (a beautifully engraved walking stick) went to Mike Till of Bullet at 70 years young

The Trophy for the First Production Boat went to Laurent Beaurin's Farr 727 45° South, winner of the 1975 Quarter Ton Cup in Deauville for New Zealand. Laurent travelled from France for the regatta and with his multinational scratch crew of Julien Sellier (French), Humphrey Carber (English) and Piers Taylor and Ben Gladwell (New Zealanders) he put in an excellent performance to finish sixth overall including winning two races.

The award for the Oldest Crew went to Bullet, owned by Howard Sellars and Mike Till and crewed by Jamie McWilliam, who had travelled all the way from Hong Kong to take part, Yachts & Yachting MD John Heyes, and young nipper Henry Bagnall. Despite Henry weighing in at only 22 years of age this team still managed to register a combined age of 261 years!

Manzanita won the prize for the youngest crew with George Kenefick (20), John Downey (24), Nathan Kirwan (20), Donagh Good (18) and Gavin Laverty (19) between them clocking up a mere 101 years. These Irish lads also ably demonstrate how Quarter Ton sailing runs in families. Manzanita was originally sailed by George's father Neil, co-owner Joxer O'Brien, designer Ron Holland and legendary boat builder and bowman Killian Bush who have been keeping a watchful eye on the boy's progress and are no doubt delighted to hear that the lads are following in their footsteps both on the water and in the bar!

Last but my no means least the Marineware Concourse de Elegance Trophy was presented to the beautifully turned out ASAP owned by Simon Crawford, Paul Churchill, Adrian Layton and Alex Christie. With her all black livery ASAP is one of the most striking boats in the fleet and this was a most popular win.

With a record 27 boats competing at this year's Coutts Quarter Ton Cup it simply isn't possible to mention every one by name but the quality of racing this year has been exceptional and truly thrilling to watch. Throughout the fleet there have been battles galore and one of the most exciting of these has been amongst the Bolero class, which was designed in 1977 by David Thomas. The five Bolero's competing in this year's Cup enjoyed some of the closest racing of the regatta with the ultimate victor being Sergeant Pepper owned by David Thomas's son Richard and his wife Ann. Second place went to Tony Dodd's Purple Haze (the original prototype for the class) with Roger Swinney's Ayanami third, Peter Hewitson's Shamu fourth and Andrew Greensmith's Hazard fifth. We hope to see even more Bolero's competing at next year's event.

Speaking after racing Paul Lees of race three winner Echo, who finished 11th overall, was thrilled to be back in a Quarter Tonner once again saying, "My first Quarter Ton Cup was in 1973 and I also did 77 and 78. We are the smallest and oldest boat in the fleet, a 1967 design by the brilliant Van de Stadt, and it's all my son Mark's fault that we're here. I've got a soft spot for Van de Stadt boats and Mark was trawling the web when he spotted Echo and called me over saying 'Dad, Dad, I've found a really cheap boat...' It was only Euro 500 and lying in Spain - which should have told us something! She had been abandoned by her owner and was being sold off by the marina. My son completely rebuilt her and redid the deck, she has her original keel and rudder and I was in charge of the rig and sails. It's been a great event - we'll be back next year."

Rupert Holmes of the 1975 De Ridder designed Minestrone was equally effusive saying, "If I'd know about this event last year when I was compiling the Top 50 Regattas for Yachts & Yachting it would definitely have made my top ten. We'll be back again next year."

A very special thank you must go to event sponsor Coutts whose support of the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup has been invaluable. Coutts and their guests have been out watching racing and meeting the sailors after racing each day and their presence has helped to build a very special bond between the class and its sponsor.

Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Overall Top Five

1 Anchor Challenge, Peter Morton - 29.5
2 Espada, Louise Morton - 30
3 Bullet, Howard Sellars & Mike Till - 39
4 Aguila, Rob Gray - 41.5
5 ASAP, Layton/Christie/Crawford/Churchill - 52
6 45° South, Laurent Beaurin -56.5
7 Runaway Bus, Paul Kelsey - 58
8 Diamond, Graydon and Thomas Dawson - 70.
9 Sergeant Pepper, Richard and Ann Thomas - 71.5
10 Snoopy, David Tydeman - 99

FULL RESULTS

For further information about the Coutts Quarter Ton Cup 2009 please contact Fiona Brown, Coutts Quarter Ton Cup Press Officer, E-mail fiona.brown@fionabrown.com, Tel +44 (0)7711 718470, Skype fpbrown, or Anthony Collis, Club Secretary, Royal Corinthian Yacht Club, The Parade, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 7QU, Tel +44 (0)1983 293581, Fax +44(0)1983 294385, E-mail anthony@rcyc.co.uk or visit www.rcyc.co.uk.

For further information about Coutts please contact Antony Antoni on e-mail Antony.antoni@coutts.com or visit www.coutts.com

For further information about the Quarter Ton Class please contact Louise Morton, Class Secretary on e-mail louisemorton2@aol.com or visit www.quarteronclass.org .

To view archive galleries of past Ton Cup Championships visit the Yacht racing section of AjaxNetPhoto Picture Library

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Wood is Wonderful…

2009-07-05T22:19:00.003+01:00

The Wooden Boatbuilders Trade Association - Press release June 2009

…say the craftsman of the Wooden Boatbuilders Trade Association and to prove it, they are exhibiting on Stands B022 to B030 at the 2009 Southampton Boat Show.

Wood is wonderful as a boatbuilding material because it allows ‘one-off’ boats to be
hand-crafted and customised to the individual owner’s specific needs, yet they need not be more expensive than run-of-the-mill GRP craft. Wooden boats are wonderful because they are ‘proper’ boats; they feel right to the touch and traditionally built using time-proven methods, they look like boats ought to look.

Wooden boats are about pride of ownership in a mass-produced world. Modern wooden boatbuilding techniques produce boats that require as little or less upkeep as plastic production craft…. yet they look gorgeous, are environmentally friendly and have a smaller carbon footprint! And wooden boats lend themselves to being repaired and restored, making them last for generations.

Ten individual wooden boats, some traditional, some modern, will be exhibited by 7 member companies of the Wooden Boatbuilders Trade Association. Founded 20 years ago, the WBTA – www.wbta.co.uk – exists to promote best practice in wooden boat construction and design and encourage green practises in the choice and use of materials. WBTA members come from all round Britain and overseas and each has to prove their skills to their fellow craftsmen to be accepted for membership. Contact details of all members and further information about wooden boats will be available at the show.

The companies and boats featured on Stands B022 to B030 this year will be:

Lakeland Wooden Boats: Mallard sailing dinghy & Cape Cod angling launch
North Quay Marine: NQ19 daysailer & NQ12 sailing dinghy
The Slipway Cooperative: Pilot Gig
Swallow Boats: BayRaider dayboat & BayCruiser 20 pocket cruising yacht
Willow Bay Boats: Shilling – Open 17 version
Jamie Clay: Clinker double-ender
Adrian Donovan: Whitehall Skiff

For further information and hi-res images of the boats being shown, please contact
Ted Spears on 01795 521711 or email: info@northquaymarine.net

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Horus Superyacht Cup update 27th June 2009

2009-06-29T07:40:00.002+01:00

SUNSHINE TAKES FIRST PLACE ON HORUS RACE DAY AND GLISS WINS THE HORUS SUPERYACHT CUP OVERALL

 A perfect end to racing at the Horus Superyacht Cup today, with stronger winds and bright sunshine giving spectators and photographers just what they wanted.
With event title sponsor HORUS also sponsoring the day, it was only fitting that 'Sunshine' finished in first place with their guests onboard. Antara came in second and Ithaka in third.
The overall ranking of the three days of racing has Gliss in first place, Antara in second and Open Season in third.

For more information and a full list of results go to: www.thesuperyachtcup.com

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Portimão Global Ocean Race update 13th June 2009

2009-06-13T12:49:00.003+01:00

Points, prizes, rules and regulations

With the Chilean duo of Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz crossing the Leg 5 Scoring Gate at 2122 UTC on Thursday, Desafio Cabo de Hornos took the maximum gate score of two points, bringing their overall total for the circumnavigation to 41 points (the scoring system and individual team scores for Legs 1-5 are listed below).

For the German team of Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on board Beluga Racer, second place at the scoring gate crossed at 1800 UTC on Friday (12/06) supplies 1.5 points, bringing Herrmann and Oehme’s total pre-finish line to 47.1 points. In effect, as long as Beluga Racer now complete Leg 5 in first, second or third place or are even scored DNF (Did Not Finish) in the double-handed fleet, the German team have won the inaugural Portimão Global Ocean Race overall.

However, the threat of the damaged upper port spreader on the blue, German Class 40 has been a concern, although both Herrmann and Oehme are supremely confident that the lashings they have fitted and prudent sailing will get them across the North Atlantic to Portimão. Until the scoring gate there was, though, one threat to an overall victory by Beluga Racer.

The rules of the Portimão Global Ocean Race are very specific regarding a DNF boat. The event’s Notice of Race (NOR) supplies the information in NOR 14.3 ‘The time limit at a finishing line (not a scoring gate) will be 12 days after the first boat has finished, after which time any yacht not finished or retired will be scored DNF (changes RRS 35).’ Effectively, if the damage became worse and Herrmann and Oehme are forced to fit a jury rig or make a pitstop for repairs in the Azores, they would have to finish within 12 days of the first boat to arrive in Portimão.

read more

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Yachts prepare for Horus Superyacht Cup

2009-06-03T08:37:00.005+01:00

Meteor and Windrose to head to Palma

The gaff-rigged schooner Meteor and the elegant modern-classic Windrose have confirmed they will be taking part in The Horus Superyacht Cup in Palma in June. These two beautiful yachts were designed by Gerry Dijkstra & Partners; Windrose at 46m and Meteor at 52m.
Windrose was built by Holland Jachtbouw and launched in 2001. She made her racing debut at Antigua Classic Week in 2002, going on in the same year to race across the Atlantic against the 58m Jessica, beating her by 17 hours. Meteor, built by Royal Huisman, was launched in the spring of 2007 just in time to take part in the famous "Mother of all Regattas", The Superyacht Cup in Palma in June '07, when 52 superyachts seemingly filled the whole of the Bay of Palma and stunned the sailing world. Windrose and Meteor will be out racing hard again this year and with the contrast of the contemporary designs such as Open Season, Mari Cha III and Black Pearl it will be another truly spectacular occasion.
With less than a month to go to the Horus Superyacht Cup many yachts are preparing for their summer cruising and racing. Tenaz, the 40m Dubois designed sloop is finishing off a winter refit at the Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, England. Tenaz was originally built by Pendennis and launched in 1996. Following an extensive world cruise with her present owners she returned to Pendennis where according to her owner, she was 'put back to how she was when launched'. The work included a complete top to bottom interior and exterior repaint, some interior re-touching work as well as main engine exhaust rebuild . After successful sea trials the yacht recently left Falmouth bound for Palma, where she will be in action at the Hours Superyacht Cup with a combined Pendennis/Tenaz team and a few special guests. The newly-refurbished yacht is being considered for charter throughout the summer in the Mediterranean and the winter in the Caribbean.
Still heading across the Atlantic and bound for Palma are the Tripp-design Baltic 25 Black Pearl and Superyacht Cup veteran Sojana, (winner of the Superyacht Cup in Antigua 2007). 13 yachts are currently confirmed and with another 8 or so yachts still 'planning to attend' organisers are anticipating 15 -18 yachts in the final line-up.
For more information and a full list of provisional entries go to: www.thesuperyachtcup.com

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Cape Breton Island confirmed entry in Clipper Round the World Yacht Race

2009-04-16T08:13:00.006+01:00

15 April 2009 Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada

The image of a magnificent eagle, the emblem of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, will adorn the 68-foot racing yacht which has today been confirmed as an entry in the Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race.

Cape Breton Island gets set to soar in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race
Artist’s rendition of how the Cape Breton Island yacht will look.

Following the hugely successful stopover there in the 07-08 edition of the race Sydney, Cape Breton, is also confirmed as a stopover on the Clipper 09-10 route and will play host to the fleet in June 2010.

Named Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia’s Masterpiece, the entry will be one of ten identical, stripped down 68-foot racing yachts competing in the event, each sponsored by an international city, region or country. They include Uniquely Singapore, Qingdao and Hull & Humber, all of whom will be making return appearances, the team sponsors having discovered that the Clipper Race provides a unique platform delivering cost-effective global market exposure. Joining them for the first time will be California, whose participation has been endorsed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger following the fleet’s inaugural visit to the state in the last edition of the biennial race. Also making a debut is Cork, the first ever Irish entry in the Clipper Race and the destination for the fleet when they leave Sydney.

The campaign to enter a Cape Breton Island yacht that will showcase Nova Scotia’s masterpiece, the majestic beauty of the region and the warmth of its people to a worldwide audience of more than 200 million people has been backed by Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation and Sydney Ports Corporation. They will use the event as a dynamic platform from which to promote tourism, investment, education, immigration and trade opportunities as well as establishing economic development contacts and opportunities in the countries the race visits.

On board the racing yacht will be a team of normal folk, many of whom who have never sailed before, who are taking up the challenge of a lifetime. Cape Breton native Elisa Jenkins, 30, signed up to take part when she saw the ten-strong fleet in Sydney in June last year and knew it was for her. The physiotherapist is using her experience to raise funds and awareness for the Cape Breton Cancer Center.

Elisa says, “I’m proud to be sailing into global harbours with Cape Breton Island on the hull. Our symbol of the eagle will be a source of strength for crew members as we race across the world’s oceans. The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race has given me an opportunity to pursue personal challenges and draw attention to a meaningful cause in our community.”

Joining her will be two other Nova Scotians, Alyson Murray from Bridgewater and Achilles Huczel from Halifax, who will represent Cape Breton Island on a global stage. Six other Canadians have also signed up to take on the challenge of a lifetime. Housewives, lorry drivers, farmers, doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers and even a vicar are among the former Clipper crews who have demonstrated to the world their unique, inspirational qualities.

In addition to those people with a thirst for adventure who will race around the world representing the region, there are exciting opportunities for local businesses to be part of the event – benefiting both from the economic impact of the race visit and also using the race to showcase their products and services to the world. Teams in previous Clipper Races have helped galvanise the community spirit in their sponsoring city or region, generating a huge sense of ownership and pride in their achievement.

The Clipper Race was set up by Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the first man to sail solo, non-stop around the world, in order to give ordinary people the chance to do something truly extraordinary.

Sir Robin says, “Sydney provided the backdrop for one of the most spectacular starts of the last Clipper Race so I’m thrilled we’re coming back. We had some fantastic close quarter racing in the harbour and down the channel out into the Atlantic and I hope we’ll see that spectacle again – this time with Cape Breton Island among the fleet.

“We already have a Cape Bretoner who has signed up to take part in the race, along with two other Nova Scotians, and I hope everyone in Cape Breton and, indeed, across the province will get behind the team and support them all the way around the world.

“The Clipper Race will provide a unique platform for you to showcase Cape Breton around the world, both for business and tourism. We had a wonderful welcome in Sydney last June so we are very much looking forward to bringing the Clipper fleet back here to experience the warmth of the hospitality we know the whole of Cape Breton is renowned for.”

Berths are still available for Clipper 09-10. More information can be found at www.clipperroundtheworld.com, by emailing oceanracer@clipperroundtheworld.com or by calling +44 (0) 2392 526000. No sailing experience is necessary as all crew must go through a comprehensive pre-race training programme.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Clipper 09-10 Round the World Yacht Race will start on 13 September from the Humber on the UK’s east coast and return there in July 2010 after 35,000 miles of ocean racing. No previous sailing experience is required to take part as full training is provided. The overall race is divided into individual races and points are accumulated according to each individual race position. The yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

High resolution race images are available on request. Images from Clipper 07-08 are available free for editorial use at www.w-w-i.com/clipper_0708_race/

For media information or interviews please contact:

Heather Ewing, Communications Manager (in Canada GMT -3 until Thursday 16 April)

UK Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

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Superyacht Cup 2012 regatta to be held in Cowes IOW

2009-04-14T20:47:00.004+01:00

London, April 2009 -

The organisers of The Superyacht Cup and the Royal Yacht Squadron have announced plans to hold a Superyacht Cup 2012 regatta in Cowes on the Isle of Wight prior to the start of the 2012 London Olympics.

The four-day regatta will take place from 22-25 July 2012 and is open to superyachts over 24m. The Royal Yacht Squadron will be the Organising Authority responsible for providing the race management and course setting for the event. The Superyacht Cup team will manage the overall event including the social programme.

The regatta has been carefully planned to immediately precede the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London on 27 July 2009, and the start of the Olympic sailing races in Weymouth on 28 July. The participating yachts may opt after the event to head up the Thames to London for the Opening Ceremony, or alternatively to the sailing venue in Weymouth, where plans are being considered for Superyacht moorings to be made available to visiting yachts.

“The summer of 2012 in the UK is going to be the focus of many sporting, cultural and business activities, and with the help of the Royal Yacht Squadron we plan to host a very special event for superyachts from all over the world to join in the Olympic excitement. Cowes and the Solent are a world famous sailing venue and the perfect location for such a prestigious event” commented James Pleasance, SYC Marketing Director.

Full details of the racing and social schedule will be announced in due course. In the meantime, owners wishing to register their interest in competing in the 2012 Superyacht Cup are invited to contact the Superyacht Cup office in Palma, Mallorca at +34 971 70 87 95 or by email to info@thesuperyachtcup.com

About the Superyacht Cup
Established in 1996 in Palma, Mallorca, the Superyacht Cup is an annual series of regattas for superyachts over 24m. Each event is held over four days, with racing fleets split into cruising and performance divisions. In 2007, over 55 superyachts participated in the Palma regatta prior to the 2007 America’s Cup in Valenica, the biggest fleet of superyachts ever to compete in a single regatta.

The Superyacht Cup is part of the Informa Yacht Group, the global leader in yachting events and a division of Informa plc, the world’s largest public-owned organiser of exhibitions and conferences. The current IYG portfolio includes such high-end events as the Monaco Yacht Show, the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show, The Superyacht Cup Regattas, the Phuket International Boat Show and the World Yacht Racing Forum.

THE SUPERYACHT CUP | www.thesuperyachtcup.com

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The SYZ & CO hydrofoil catamaran has taken off !

2009-04-06T08:25:00.004+01:00

Genève, 3 April 2009

After two years of development and hard work, the SYZ & CO hydrofoil catamaran took off yesterday for its maiden flight in a northerly breeze averaging 13 knots on the slightly choppy waters of Lake Léman and has demonstrated its striking manner the validity of its concept. The next weeks will be devoted to tuning up in order to be ready for the main races of the season. To allow the public to follow project developments, a web site is now available (www.syzfoiler.com).

The SYZ & CO hydrofoil catamaran has flown over Lake Léman
After over two years of development, thousand of working hours and first trials marked by teething technical problems between December and March, the hydrofoil catamaran finally took off yesterday evening in the waters off Société Nautique de Genève.

Copyright photos: Loris Von Siebent hal

This historical outing started yesterday evening a little before 6 pm and the crew, comprising Alex Schneiter, Patrick Firmenich, Arnaud Psarofaghis and Boet Brinkgreve, had a superb navigation in the Geneva harbour. Sailing in a breeze of approximately 13 knots with gusts going up to 16 knots, the hydrofoil catamaran first started with a reef on the main sail and the genoa. As the wind picked up, the crew quickly changed the fore sail and switched to the forestaysail. The SYZ & CO then proceeded windward until Creux-de-Genthod and the bearing away already promised to be spectacular. The crew gained in confidence in the prototype and rushed downwind towards Geneva at a speed of 10 knots. A magical moment, every one holding his breath until finally a hull lifts up out of the water followed a moment later by the second one! The catamaran accelerates to quickly reach 20 knots. The water is a little choppy and the boat dances on the waves. Helmsman Alex Schneiter later tells: « She’s quite light to steer and responds quickly but remains tolerant. In flight, she stays pleasant to steer and easy to trim. When she’s on the water, in Archimedean mode, she’s heavier than a conventional yacht but I think that a lot will depend on the tune up. »

Around 6.15pm, the wind weakens a little and the crew puts the genoa back on and continues with the full main sail. François Psarofaghis, on the chase boat, cannot hide his satisfaction: « It’s a good start, but it’s only the start! You can feel she has a great potential but we’ll need hours and hours of tuning. She’s really a racing monster and for the time being, we’re only using a tiny part of the boat’s potential. We’re really looking forward to sailing with the gennaker on on our next outing! »

Arnaud Gavairon, from North Sails, is also closely following the sailing: « These new 3Di sails also require a lot of tuning. It’s like the boat: we’ve gone very far with the technology and a lot of detailed work will be needed. There is a lot of room for progression. »

The beginning of an adventure
Back ashore, the crew confides: « It really went on very well and we got a very good feeling. Given our obviously limited flight experience, we needed little time to adjust to sailing aloft. We are now very confident in the gear but, as we don’t know the boat very well yet, we’re going step by step. »

Once these initial moments of emotion and the pleasure of discovery have passed, the crew will start a performance development phase and will indentify all the tuning factors. In fact, for this first test, the crew stayed voluntarily cautious and did not try to break any speed records. There’s a lot of tuning up to do, be it on the foils, on the flaps, on the crew position and the tilting of the mast. The first impression is very reassuring and encouraging: « She flies very well and you can drive her hard. We’re very happy because the concept proves to be very sound » adds Arnaud Psarofaghis.

Next sailing and test and tuning phase
An intensive training and testing program has been established. During this crucial phase, Pierre-Yves Jorand, member of the Alinghi team, and Boet Brinkgreve will be the key people. Pierre-Yves, who logically is very interested in this project, will be able to share his America’s Cup experience and the discipline that defines it. Boet, the on-board tactician, has put in place a test and checks program, managed from an on-board computer, and has created a systematic analysis database for all parameters. Moreover, an optical fiber sensor system has been installed in order to analyze the performance and the loads on the foils.

www.syzfoiler.com – all the news immediately
Encouraged by the strong interest received by the prototype both in Switzerland and abroad, the team has set up a website entirely dedicated to the SYZ & CO hydrofoil catamaran. This new site, www.syzfoiler.com, recounts the whole development of the project and features regularly updated photo and video galleries. All team results and news will be available.

For additional information, please contact:

Sandra Mudronja
Ricardo Payro
Sandra Mudronja Consulting & Co
Banque SYZ & CO S.A.

Tel : +41 (0)22 320 95 00

Mobile :+41 (0)79 445 87 92
Tel. : +41 (0) 22 819 98 05
E-mail : sandra.mudronja@smc-co.ch
E-Mail: ricardo.payro@syzbank.ch

Note to editors

About SYZ & CO

Founded in 1996 by Eric Syz, Alfredo Piacentini and Paolo Luban, Geneva-based banking group SYZ & CO has established itself as a respected financial firm thanks to its original concept and years of strong results. SYZ & CO focuses exclusively on asset management, with more than CHF 20 billion under management and 350 staff.

Headquartered in Geneva, the Group also has offices in Zurich, Lugano, Locarno, London, Luxembourg, Vienna, Milan, Rome, Nassau and Hong Kong.

Its activities are based on three complementary cornerstones:

· High-end private banking with Banque SYZ & CO SA

· High-performance investment funds with OYSTER, the Luxembourg SICAV

· High-quality alternative investments with 3A SA (Alternative Asset Advisors), one of Europe’s leading hedge fund management specialists

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Portimão Global Ocean Race update 26th March 2009

2009-03-26T21:59:00.002Z

Trouble ahead!

With 1,000 miles remaining to the Leg 3 finish in the tropical, Brazilian island of Ilhabela, the Portimão Global Ocean Race fleet are set for a finish line scramble early next week. Over the past 24 hours, the German team of Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on Beluga Racer have made a break away, consistently averaging the highest speeds in the double-handed fleet yesterday afternoon (25/03) as the boats beat north-east on port tack. This morning at 0620 GMT (26/03), Herrmann and Oehme have extended their lead over Desafio Cabo de Hornos by 27 miles since dawn on Wednesday and now lead the fleet by 71 miles, averaging eight knots.

Holding third place in the double-handed fleet, furthest west and 300 miles off the coast of Argentina, Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on Team Mowgli were the first to feel the breeze turn northerly, but have kept hard on the wind, averaging one knot slower than Beluga Racer and Desafio Cabo de Hornos sailing in slightly freer and stronger breeze further east. The net result for the British team is a loss of 16 miles to the Chileans and the British team now trail Desafio Cabo de Hornos by just 59 miles. Meanwhile, solo sailor Michel Kleinjans on Roaring Forty is pacing the double-handed fleet, matching speeds with Beluga Racer and Desafio Cabo de Hornos and is currently 200 miles astern of the race leader and 77 miles behind Team Mowgli.

After 6,500 miles and 33 days of racing, the closing stages of Leg 3 are going to be a tactical minefield for the four boats and the slightest lapse of strategic judgement or poor weather analysis could overturn the leaderboard. Felipe Cubillos, skipper of Desafio Cabo de Hornos explains: “We have 990 miles left to reach Ilhabela, but with the meteorology ahead, this is going to be a very complex six days.” As the area of high pressure east of the fleet expands across the South Atlantic, dragging the breeze further round to the east, the chances of the fleet having to tack back towards the coast of Uruguay and Southern Brazil increases.

If the wind stays more northerly, or moves to the west, sailing hard on the wind on port towards Ilhabela can be achieved. “The approach to the Brazilian coast is going to be winding,” predicts Cubillos. “We know that the final attack closing in on Ilhabela is going to be very, very complicated and pretty much anything can happen.” For Cubillos and his co-skipper, José Muñoz, there is only one clear plan: “Now, we have to work hard on recovering our lead,” he explains. “And never, never surrender!”

Note to Editors: For Rights Free images, flash videos, logos and other materials please contact:

Brian Hancock: brian@portimaorace.com
Tel: +1 617 314 4468

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Portimão Global Ocean Race update 19th March 2009

2009-03-20T00:00:00.003Z

VIVA CHILE! Desafio Cabo de Hornos are first to Cape Horn

At 0050 GMT this morning, (19/03), Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz sailed into the history books on Desafio Cabo de Hornos when the Chilean duo rounded Cape Horn earlier today. Instantaneously, their offshore sailing CV has quadrupled in size. The first yacht in the Portimão Global Ocean Race to pass the cape; the first Chilean team to round Cape Horn in a race; the first modern, 40ft yacht to race around the bottom of the globe and the first Class 40 to take on the Southern Ocean and reach 56°S.

The overture to rounding of the world’s southernmost cape has been dramatic for Cubillos and Muñoz. At 1700 GMT yesterday (18/03), Desafio Cabo de Hornos passed three miles south of the Islas Ildelfonso: nine jagged, uninhabited and unlit stacks of rock at the western entrance to Drake Passage. Immediately, Cubillos fired off an email to the rest of the fleet: “Please take care of these rocks,” he warned. “They are north of our current position, but my impression is that they are a little bit south of the position marked on the chart and they’re unlit.” Three hours later, a Chilean Navy P-111 spotter plane buzzed Desafio Cabo de Hornos, quickly followed by a congratulatory call from the office of the Chilean President and greetings from Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme 85 miles astern in second place on Beluga Racer.

With the light beginning to fade at 56°S, Felipe Cubillos sent a final message before rounding the cape: “I have an important message to deliver,” he wrote. “Everyone can fulfil their dreams if they apply passion and determination. If you can overcome pessimism, self-doubt and triumph over the fear of failure, it is worth it as the prize at the end is immense. For me – and possibly many of you – it is our reason for living. Each of us has a personal Cape Horn: it’s a matter of locating this goal and then heading straight for it. In a few hours we will be at the cape and we can hoist our country’s flag and shout VIVA CHILE!” In the latest 0620 GMT position poll, Desafio Cabo de Hornos has hardened up since passing the cape and Cubillos and Muñoz are making just over nine knots, 60 miles south of the Le Maire Strait, the 16 mile wide channel of strong tides and confusing currents between Tierra del Fuego and Isla de Los Estados.

On Beluga Racer, 37 miles west of the cape at 0620 GMT today and 76 miles behind Desafio Cabo de Hornos, Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme have mixed emotions as they approach this crucial waypoint at the bottom of the world: “I am a bit sad to round the cape because that destroys the dream of challenging the Southern Ocean,” commented Herrmann late last night. “By passing the cape we have reached the summit, we have fulfilled that dream.” Averaging eight knots with a current ETA of 1030 GMT at the cape, the duo are just hours from German sailing celebrity. “I don’t want to leave the Southern Ocean behind us,” he continues. “It is cold, it is rough, but it is that intense sailing that makes me feel alive more than normal.” However, the duo will have company at the cape with Bouwe Bekking and his ten crew on the Volvo Ocean Race backmarker, Telefonica Blue, likely to pass Cape Horn around three hours after Beluga Racer.

Note to Editors: For Rights Free images, flash videos, logos and other materials please contact:

Brian Hancock: brian@portimaorace.com
Tel: +1 617 314 4468

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Cape Horn - drama or dream?

2009-03-16T20:35:00.003Z

When the fleet of four boats in the Portimão Global Ocean Race round Cape Horn over the next few days, it will mark the first rounding by a race of 40ft yachts and the first race rounding by a Chilean team. A truly momentous achievement for the seven yachstmen.

Debate continues over the original discovery of the world’s southernmost cape: did Francisco de Hoces - the Spanish commander of the caravel San Lesmes – first site the rocky outcrop in 1526 after being swept south while trying to navigate the eastern entrance of the Straits of Magellan? If so, he predates the 1578 rounding of Sir Francis Drake by a little over half a century. However, since the Amsterdam merchant, Willem Shouten, formally named the place in 1616, Cape Horn has been a craved destination and right of passage for offshore sailors: a prime objective in sailing aspirations, part maritime bogeyman, part Holy Grail.

The Horn marks the northern limit of Drake Passage, a fearsome stretch of water between South America and the Antarctic continent where the Southern Ocean is squeezed through a narrow and relatively shallow gap: a concentration of wind and waves that can produce monstrous seas. The cape’s legendary status and fearsome reputation has filled the pages of many books, but the “Long Drag Shanty” conveys a true sense of dread that the area can inspire:

Round Cape Horn where the stiff wind blows,
Round Cape Horn where there’s sleet and snow.
I wish to God I’d never been born
To drag my carcass around Cape Horn

Cape Horn has wrecked countless ships and claimed the lives of many sailors attempting to round this barren, rocky, outcrop; the southernmost, drowned peak of the Andes Mountains chain. One survivor of a Horn gale was Charles Darwin during the voyage of exploration that formed his theories on evolution. This experience totally demoralised the brilliant naturalist: “The necessary discomforts of the ship heavily pitching and the miseries of constant wet and cold, I have scarcely for an hour been quite free from seasickness. How long the bad weather may last, I know not; but my spirits, temper, and stomach, I am well assured, will not hold out much longer.”

For more information, please go to www.portimaorace.com.

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An even bigger lift for Sunseeker International

2009-02-17T08:31:00.005Z

PRESS RELEASE FEBRUARY 2009

A new 320 tonnes travel lift, believed to be one of the largest hoists of its type in the UK, has been installed at Sunseeker International’s Osprey Quay Shipyard on Portland in Dorset. The new hoist, supplied by Wise Handling Limited, has a height of 13.5 metres, an overall width of 15 metres and weighs 108,000 kg.

The new Wise 320 Tonne Travel Hoist shown here moving a Sunseeker 30 Metre Yacht Hull

The new travel hoist, which has been built to launch or retrieve boats up to 320,000 kilograms, has been acquired to operate with a brand new lifting dock. The dock, similar to that at the company’s Poole Shipyards, has been specifically built to meet the demand for boats over 30 metres (100 feet).

With a successful range of larger craft already in production – including the 37 Metre, 34 Metre and 30 Metre Yachts, along with the Predator 108 – the travel lift will also have the ability to elevate and move even larger vessels such as the Sunseeker 46 Metre Yacht currently in development and the Predator 130, which is due to be launched later this year. In addition, the hoist will have full remote control facility with double speed winching – enabling greater flexibility in moving boats.

Sunseeker recently announced its intention to build superyachts over 50 metres and the 11 acre site at Osprey Quay, along with the facilities now available, will be an important part in the company’s future development.

Robert Braithwaite CBE, Sunseeker’s managing director commented: “The investment in this type of machinery is vital to the future success of the business. With our range of models increasing in both length and weight having the new travel hoist will enable us to move the boats efficiently and safely.

“The continued development at Osprey Quay is very important to us if we are to maintain our position as one of the world’s major yacht builders.”

- Ends

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Sunseeker PR and Marketing, Gemma Langridge
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 381111 Fax: +44 (0) 1202 777005 Mobile: +44 (0)7764 320536
e-mail: marketing@sunseeker.com
Website www.sunseeker.com

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Portimão Global Ocean Race update 15th Dec 2008

2008-12-16T00:50:00.000Z

Fleet splits as they head south

Less than 24 hours into the race things are already starting to get interesting. The fleet has split tacks with the boys on Beluga Racer, alongside the leading solo sailor Michel Kleinjans on Roaring Forty, have chosen a south-easterly course away from Cape Point. Heading due south are the early race leaders Kazimir Partners, and the British entry Team Mowgli. Two different strategies for tackling the critical first stage of the race.

After a rousing start to Leg 2 from Table Bay yesterday things quickly changed as the yachts found pocket after pocket of light patches. First to slow up was the early leader Michel Kleinjans who found his own private wind hole off Sea Point. He was quickly followed into the hole by Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on Beluga Racer. Seeing their dilemma the Chilean team of Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz headed offshore in the hope of better luck and could only look on in dismay when the wind filled in closer to land. They also found themselves in a bit more counter current as the ice cold Benguela Current drifts slowly northwards up the coast.

Then, in a fitting way, the South Africans aboard Kazimir Partners found their own private winds and took off. “They were right alongside of us,” Boris Herrmann lamented. “The wind got to them and not us and before long they were out of sight over the horizon.” While Beluga Racer sat going nowhere slowly with old nemesis Roaring Forty alongside, the brothers on Kazimir Partners, Peter and Lenjohn van der Wel jumped from zephyr to zephyr and took off. “I think we were lucky,” Lenjohn said in an email. “But then again I think we deserved a little luck.”

By nightfall all the sailors were treated to a spectacular sight as they tacked along the coast toward Cape Point. The Table Mountain range extends from the City of Cape Town all the way along the Cape Peninsula to Cape Point and as a setting sun sinks lower into the Atlantic the mountains take on a ruddy hue. It’s dramatic, stunning beautiful to watch, and a fitting way to start a long offshore passage. As the last light left the sky all the yachts, with the exception of Kazimir Partners, could still be seen slowly making their way along the coast.

This morning it’s a different story. Overnight the wind picked up from the south forcing the sailors to make some hard choices. There are two different schools of thought. Hedging their bets Beluga Racer and Roaring Forty are sailing closer to the rhumb line and therefore are leading their respective Classes. Further inshore and to the east the Chileans onboard Desafio Cabo de Hornos are following the same logic. The van der Wel brothers, as well as Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson on Team Mowgli, have opted to head due south in search of fresh westerlies. Same too for Nico Budel on Hayai. It’s a time honoured tactic, but only time will tell if it’s a good tactic.

The veteran navigators of the early Whitbread Round the World races, now the Volvo Ocean Race, all suggest getting south out of Cape Town as quickly as possible but that’s only if all options look equal. There is nothing in the immediate forecast to tempt the rest of the fleet into the southerly option. The first low pressure cell is still miles to the west. It’s precisely this kind of scenario that makes ocean racing so interesting and the next 48 hours will be fun to watch as the Race Viewer gets it’s usual heavy traffic.

Note to Editors: For Rights Free images, flash videos, logos and other materials please contact:

Brian Hancock: brian@portimaorace.com
Tel: +1 617 314 4468

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Portimão Global Ocean Race update 14th Dec 2008

2008-12-16T00:40:00.000Z

They're off - next stop Wellington

With a heavy cloud shrouding Table Mountain the six boats participating in the Portimão Global Ocean Race set off on their 7,900 nautical mile voyage to Wellington, New Zealand. Executive Deputy Mayor, Cllr Grant Haskin fired the start gun and seconds later Michel Kleinjans aboard Roaring Forty crossed the line, sails sheeted in tight and wide grin plastered on his face. Moments later the German team of Boris Herrmann and Felix Oehme on Beluga Racer crossed followed closely by the other solo sailor in the race, Nico Budel aboard Hayai. The wind, a steady northerly, made for an upwind beat to the first obligatory mark, Fairway buoy No 2 off Sea Point.

The fleet immediately split tacks with Jeremy Salvesen and David Thomson aboard Team Mowgli heading offshore toward Robben Island, and Kleinjans on Roaring Forty choosing instead to head for land hoping to pick up a nice lift off the wind bending around Signal Hill. The rest of the fleet chose a middle ground with Beluga Racer and Desafio Cabo de Hornos already locked in a neck-and-neck match race, the German yacht slightly ahead of the Chilean team of Felipe Cubillos and José Muñoz.

A large spectator fleet was on hand to watch the boats tussle their way out of Table Bay. The entire racing fleet for the Crock’s Regatta, a local regatta also taking place this weekend, was on hand to give the Portimão racers a rousing send-off with local sailors Peter and Lenjohn van der Wel surrounded by well-wishers waving and clapping. Earlier in the day it was an emotional scene at the Royal Cape Yacht Club as hundreds of cheering people gave each yacht a fitting send-off. The fog slowly lifted and by the time all the boats were away from the dock there were peeks of blue sky forcing their way between dark rain clouds.

Forty minutes into the leg it was clear that Michel Kleinjans was once again going to show the rest of the fleet how to sail. He sailed right up to the land, tacked over in front of the new stadium being built for the 2010 soccer World Cup, and picked up a massive lift. As the offshore yachts converged off Sea Point, Kleinjans was clearly in the lead and at the first poll at 13:20 UTC he was .2 of a mile ahead of second place Beluga Racer. Two hours into the race less than half a mile separated Kleinjans from the back-markers Desafio Cabo de Hornos and Hayai.

As the boats round Sea Point and sail past Cape Town’s famous Clifton Beach, the skippers will be able to ease sheets and enjoy some fast sailing. The forecast for the next 24 hours looks good as the wind will slowly back first into the west then into the southwest giving them all a clean getaway from land.

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Ambition Racing to attend The Southampton Boat Show 2008

2008-09-01T22:18:00.001+01:00

Press Release – September 2008

The amateur, double-handed sailing team of Jeremy Salvesen and Victoria Sanders-Perrin to meet journalists and the public and share their plans and ambitions for the 2008/09 Portimão Global Ocean Race

Jeremy Salvesen and Victoria Sanders-Perrin only started sailing back in August 2005 but they have already secured an entry into the inaugural Portimão Global Ocean Race. Last month they completed a 2,000mile compulsory qualifier and were accepted onto the starting line-up of the ocean race departing in October - the only UK team to do so.

Salvesen and Sanders-Perrin have spent the last 4 months making sure that their Akilaria Class 40 yacht, Mowgli is up to the challenges of Ocean Racing and, whilst Mowgli withstood all that the Atlantic threw at it during the qualifier, the two sailors got more than a taster of what could be in store for them when the race starts However, they are not daunted and are all guns blazing for the race in the autumn. They set sail for Portugal on 20th September.

The Portimão Global Ocean Race is the first ever solo-double around-the-world yacht race. The event, open to 40 and 50-foot monohull sailboats only, will start from Portimão, Portugal in October 2008 and circumnavigate the world stopping in South Africa, New Zealand, Brazil and the United States before finishing in Europe in June 2009.

Race founders Josh Hall and Brian Hancock, themselves veteran offshore sailors, say “The principal intention with this new event is to make around-the-world yacht racing as accessible to as many people as possible”

Salvesen and Sanders-Perrin gave up their jobs, sold their houses and moved to Portsmouth to embark on a vigorous training programme.

The Ambition Racing team will be the first ever male / female team to take on the challenge to race around the world in a 40ft boat in the Southern Ocean and, as if the experience in itself won’t be challenging enough, a camera crew will be following the team every step of the way.

Goldhawk Media are developing a series of documentaries to reflect the reality, glamour and danger of offshore racing and the adventures of the Ambition Racing team will be central to the programmes.

Once the domain of the super-rich, around-the-world yacht racing is becoming more and more accessible and by sharing their experiences, Ambition Racing hope to inspire and motivate sailors who may feel that a global circumnavigation is out of their reach both financially and practically.
For further information on Ambition Racing and the Portimão Global Ocean Race 2008/2009 please go to:
http://www.ambitionracing.com http://www.portimaoglobaloceanrace.com

OR contact Susie Reid Thomas at Silver Thread Communications on:
susie@silverthreadpr.com / 020 8875 8444 / 07802 670 995

NOTE TO EDITORS

Jeremy, 45, from Fife on the east coast of Scotland and owner of an entrepreneur confectionary business, was hugely inspired after a trip to New Zealand and a conversation with a ‘Round the World’ yacht crew. So inspired was he that, after signing up to this incredible global challenge, he sold his business and set up home on Mowgli.

Victoria, 33 and born in Cape Town, was, until recently, still looking after a ½ billion turnover for Xerox. She decided to take on this life changing experience after meeting Charlie Smith (a Xerox employee who was in the news after a freak wave hit his boat whilst racing off the coast of Australia). Personal issues also inspired her to take on this adventure with huge determination and great spirit.

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Red Arrows Headline British Excellence at Moanco Yacht Show 2008

2008-08-31T22:45:00.000+01:00

The Red Arrows will form the highlight of British Excellence and Superyacht UK’s (SYUK) presence at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show.

The award winning Royal Air Force display team will be performing a 30 minute routine in front of the outer breakwater at Monaco Harbour. The event will be followed by the chance for those attending to ‘Meet the Pilots’ at a SYUK evening reception.

First established in 1965, the Red Arrows have flown over 4,000 displays in 52 countries. They aim to act as ambassadors for Great Britain overseas and to support UK industry by demonstrating the capabilities of British equipment and expertise.

The organisation of the display results from the initiative of several members of SYUK and is designed to celebrate British excellence in the industry. Led by Pendennis and supported by SYUK the group also includes The Yacht Report, Superyacht World, Superyacht Business, Underwriting Risk Services Ltd, Burgess and DEVONPORT.

The Monaco Yacht Show is an ideal opportunity to bring the successful superyacht industry in the UK and its new project and product launches to international attention. The Superyacht industry in the UK employs over 3000 people and had a turnover of £300m pounds based on 2006/7 figures.

Superyacht UK representatives have attended the Monaco event for the last 8 years, and in addition to the appearance of the Red Arrows, will be helping promote British industry through on-site support for members including a meeting pavilion located in the heart of the Show with over 27 companies. The new annual statistics for the 2007/08 value of the UK Superyacht sector will also be announced at the Show.

Toby Allies, Head of Sales and Marketing at Pendennis, said:

“I always thought that having a Red Arrows display at the Monaco Yacht Show was just a pipe dream, but after some hard work behind the scenes it has become a reality. Once the rest of the SYUK committee heard about our proposal, they instantly got behind it and the momentum grew from there.

“For us personally having the Red Arrows at Monaco provides yet another highlight for our 20th anniversary year - following on from the success of the Pendennis Cup in August and our reception at the St Barths Bucket in March.”

Tom Chant, International Commercial Manager for Superyacht UK added:

“The Red Arrows are a powerful symbol of British excellence and it is fantastic for the industry that they will be appearing at this year’s show. Superyacht UK will be working extremely hard to support our members in Monaco as they seek to promote British expertise and success to the international Superyacht community. I’m looking forward to a productive and successful time in Monaco.

“Our thanks go to Pendennis, The Yacht Report, Superyacht World, Superyacht Business, Underwriting Risk Services Ltd, Burgess, DEVONPORT and the team at Monaco Yacht Show for their support in hosting the Red Arrows.”

The display is currently scheduled to take place on Thursday 25th September at 15.30 outside the outer breakwater of Monaco harbour.

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Life begins at 69

2008-08-29T08:11:00.001+01:00

Portimão Global Ocean Race news update 28th August 2008

Dutch sailor Nico Budel will be the oldest sailor in the Portimão Global Ocean Race.

Just when most people would be thinking about kicking back and easing into a more gentle way of life after a long and hard career, Dutch sailor Nico Budel is planning on fulfilling his lifelong dream of sailing alone around the world. Budel, the oldest sailor in the Portimão Global Ocean Race, will be 69 when the start gun fires on October 12, but to him age is just a number.

I plan to live to at least 100,” he says. “So there will be plenty of time for work but every now and then you need to take some time for fun and a solo circumnavigation is something I have been dreaming about my whole life. My dream will come true.”

T.E. Lawrence wrote: “All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their mind wake in the day to find it was all vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men for they may act upon their dream with open eyes to make it possible.” Nico Budel is one who dreams by day and by that measure he may be considered a dangerous man. You would never know it though. A loving husband, father of five and grandfather of 10, he is a family man first and foremost and while he talks about his upcoming adventure with enthusiasm and passion, there is a note of caution in his voice.

“I am not at all concerned about the sailing,” he says. “Racing around Great Britain two years ago we encountered 65 knot winds. It was a thrilling experience. The boat handled very well. My most important goal is to come back; safely, to my wife Myrna, my children, I have two daughters and three sons, and my grandchildren. That’s the most important thing for me.”

Budel is no stranger to offshore sailing. He has raced very successfully in the OSTAR, a single-handed crash and bast fest across the North Atlantic winning his class in 2005. “That’s a tough race,” he says. “Sailing upwind is tough. I am looking forward to sailing downwind in the Portimão Global Ocean Race. It’s always more fun sailing downwind.” In addition to twice racing solo across the North Atlantic he has raced the double-handed Fastnet race six times, raced the AZAB to the Azores and back numerous times and competed in many lesser known, but no less tough shorthanded races in Europe. “I have enjoyed them all,” he said. “But I want the big one. Sailing around the world solo. Some people have called me crazy, some say whoa, do you dare do it? Some say, awesome adventure, and other just say simply, enjoy. That’s what I plan to do. Enjoy myself. And when it’s over I will return to my career as a Real Estate developer, work I really like, and life will go on.”

For his trip around the world Budel has a proven boat. His Open 40, Hayai, has already completed two circumnavigations, first with designer/builder Viktor Yazekov during the 1998/99 Around Alone race and later with Danish sailor Jan Moller. “The boat is proven,” Budel says. “It is easy to sail and I feel it is very seaworthy. Also, it’s not too big for me. I can manage the boat very well.”

In fact the boat has proven to be all Budel says, and more. During the Around Alone race Yazekov had to perform some self surgery lancing a severely infected cut. Unknown to his doctors the Russian sailor had been taking Asprin for pain. When he lanced the infected cut he bled profusely before finally passing out. Twelve hours later he came to to find that the boat had sailed perfectly on course without an autopilot and furthermore, did the best 12-hour run of the entire race!”

Hayai, which means ‘speedy’, is a carbon-fiber rocketship with a canting keel and generous sail area. “This is just the kind of boat I like,” Budel said. “Simple, light, back to basics, no shower, no galley, no luxury.” Nico is in for one great adventure and he is just the kind of competitor we hoped to attract when we came up with the idea of the Portimão Global Ocean Race. Someone who lives life to its fullest.

--- Brian Hancock brian@portimaorace.com

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WEST SYSTEM Epoxy Workshops 2008

2008-08-28T21:55:00.000+01:00

PRESS RELEASE
26th August 2008

Wessex Resins announces the dates for the next series of WEST SYSTEM Epoxy Workshops!

Due to the continued success of these epoxy workshops, covering many marine applications and basic handling techniques Wessex Resins is delighted to announce the dates for this seasons

WEST SYSTEM Epoxy Workshops.
Thursday 30th October 2008
Saturday 1st November 2008
Thursday 27th November 2008
Thursday 5th February 2009
Saturday 7th February 2009

The workshop includes a brief history of epoxy technology, the advantages of using epoxy in the marine environment and highlights the benefits of WEST SYSTEM products for all types of applications.
Everyone attending gains hands on experience in using epoxy, being able to mix as much epoxy as they like and have the opportunity to experiment with the entire range of WEST SYSTEM fillers for bonding, gap filling, filleting and fairing. Delegates will have the opportunity to utilize their new skills and build their very own toolbox In addition, to using WEST SYSTEM epoxy and fibreglass fabrics to complete a sheathing excise. At the end of the day delegates take home over £50 of WEST SYSTEM materials.
These courses are provided by the Wessex Resins Technical Support Group. There is an open forum at the end of the day that allows the WEST SYSTEM users to ask specific questions regarding the use of epoxy for the construction, repair and maintenance of their own boats. It will also give rise to some general epoxy/boating discussions.
These courses become over subscribed very quickly and it is therefore essential to book early.

For More Information Please Contact Hamish Cook!!

Wessex Resins and Adhesives Ltd.
Cupernham House, Cupernham Lane, Romsey, Hampshire, SO51 7LF
Tel. 01794 521111 Fax 01794 521271
information@wessex-resins.com www.wessex-resins.com

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Portimão Global Ocean Race - News Update

2008-08-17T23:57:00.000+01:00

Thursday, 14th August, 2008 PGOR - NEWS UPDATE

Mowgli Qualified

The UK duo of Sanders-Perrin and Salvesen complete their qualifier.

Wet, exhausted, but exhilarated at having taken on a challenge and prevailed. Those were the emotions running through Victoria Sanders-Perrin and Jeremy Salvesen when they finally made it back to land after 10 tough days out on the open ocean. Sanders-Perrin and Salvesen had just completed their mandatory 2,000 mile qualifying sail for the Portimão Global Ocean Race and jumped the last big hurdle standing between them and the start line in October. It had not been an easy sail.

“We were hammered with very strong winds every day,” said Salvesen. “Rarely below 25 knots and often as much as 40 knots. It was a real test in every sense and I am elated that we came through it without a scratch. Vicky and I are a terrific team and we worked together to make sure that we kept ourselves as warm as possible, as dry as possible, which was not easy, and most of all to keep our boat, Mowgli, in good working order.”

The duo set off from Portsmouth on August 4, originally with an eye toward circumnavigating Great Britain, but with a gnarly forecast and after some sage advice from veteran solo sailor Alex Thompson, they opted to sail out into the Atlantic a 1,000 miles. Race rules call for a qualifying sail of no less than 2,000 miles incorporating all points of sail including hard upwind. And some hard upwind sailing they did, finding the weather less than cooperative.

“We did have some hard upwind stuff,” said Sanders-Perrin. “And it was not without it’s trials. I must admit I did have a bit of a sense of humor failure at times but looking back on it, it was a thrilling experience and I am so happy that we came through it OK and now on to Portugal for the race start.”

Sanders-Perrin may have had a sense of humor failure at times, but in her emails from onboard she showed that she has what it takes to make it around the world and return sane; the canny ability to see the funny side of a less-than-funny situation.

“As I filled a bucket from the bilge below the nav station,” she emailed, “I laid hand to a squidgy bit of what can only be described as flesh-feeling gunk. I hurled the bucket out of the companionway with said gunk and quickly washed my hands and shut my eyes. The woodcock. Dear god, had it got in and drowned in the bilge. No, it wasn't the cute little bird that sailed a bit with us last week, it was a rehydrated pork scratching. If you eat them, each one becomes the size of a large pork chop when soaked in water.”

While to some, a 2,000 mile offshore sail may not seem like a monumental challenge, but remember that just two short years ago neither Jeremy or Victoria had ever sailed. Both were inspired to do the Global Challenge, Sir Chay Blyth’s now (sadly) bankrupt around-the-world race. They had reached a point in their personal and corporate lives where they discovered that there was something missing. It was time for new challenges. With the Global Challenge opportunity gone they decided to team up and enter the Portimão Global Ocean Race. The pooled resources, bought a boat, took sailing and safety-at-sea lessons, and are now prepared and fully ready to race double-handed around the world. Seasoned sailors they are not, but sensible, ambitious and intrepid they are, and it’s going to be fun to follow their exploits over the coming year, pork scratching and all.

--- Brian Hancock

Race Start - 12th October 2008 - Portimão Portugal

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Clipper 07-08 fleet arrives to spectacular welcome in Liverpool

2008-07-06T12:06:00.001+01:00

06 July 2008

A spectacular welcome greeted the crews of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race as they arrived back in Liverpool at the end of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation. For the non-professional crew onboard the ten 68-foot ocean racing yachts, the return to Albert Dock marks the end of a challenge of a lifetime as they battled the elements in search of victory and the title of Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race champions.

Crossing the finish line overnight at the end of the 14th and final stage of the Clipper 07-08 Race, the US entry, New York, claimed the maximum ten points for securing their sixth first place of their campaign and the Clipper Trophy. Hull & Humber, New York’s closest rival on the overall leaderboard ahead of Race 14, saw their hopes of claiming the title fade as New York stretched out a small but significant lead in the fast reaching race from Cork, Ireland to Liverpool, UK.

Arriving in Albert Dock, skipper Duggie Gillespie, from Kirkudbright, Scotland, said, “It didn’t sink in last night. It was relief last night just to get over the line. We’d been pushing behind Hull & Humber, working really hard – teamwork, teamwork, teamwork, all the time – and it was relief when we crossed the line. And it’s only now, when you come in here and there’s I don’t know how many thousands of people, you think well, we’ve actually done it. We’ve won the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.”

After his team had crossed the finish line Duggie let off two flares on the bow of the boat in celebration. “That was a bit of fun,” he said, “But I was trying not to burn the sails! But it was great, in the Irish Sea, in the middle of nowhere, to know you’d not only won the leg, but won the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race. And to win that leg was really just so sweet – it wasn’t expected. We didn’t need to. When we went round the last gate we had a team meeting and said right boys, here we are, we’re in the lead. We’ve got to the do the same thing to cover Hull & Humber as we’ve got to do to cover the fleet, so let’s really try and win this. So we made the decision then to really try to win and we just had to stop them from coming through. And we did!”

The Clipper fleet’s arrival back in Liverpool at the end of their 35,000-mile circumnavigation was part of the city’s European Capital of Culture 2008 celebrations and thousands of Liverpudlians, race supporters and friends and family of the crews lined the banks of the Mersey to welcome the yachts back home. The iconic Albert Dock provided a fantastic venue for the prize giving ceremony and crowds thronged the colonnades as each of the top three teams overall was presented with their pennant by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Steve Rotheram. Third place went to the Scottish entry Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper, the only boat in the ten-strong fleet to be led by a female skipper, Hannah Jenner. Hannah said, “It’s a bit surreal. I don’t think it’s really dawned on any of us what we just did and where we just came and it’s great to be here. In some ways it does feel like we’ve been away almost a year and in some ways it feels like we were just here last week when we first pulled up nervously but it’s really exciting. We’re very, very proud of third place. We’re delighted to have the boat not just on the podium for a single race for the first time in four campaigns, but overall, which is what we set out to achieve and we’ve achieved it.”

Second place was presented to Danny Watson and his Hull & Humber team. Danny said, “It was a good race, we got another podium in Race 14. Obviously it wasn’t just quite enough but we gave it everything and it’s great to be here, second overall and the crew are made up. One of our key objectives was to strive for a podium position and to achieve a second place overall is a fantastic result.”

The yellow first place pennant was handed to a jubilant New York crew. Round the world crew member, Gary Purdom from Bainbridge Island, Washington, USA, said, “It’s spectacular in the sense that you think about doing something for 30 years and it really is a dream to be here at Albert Dock and not only doing it but doing it in style. The team was great, we were very competitive and fortunate to win the overall thing. That’s the icing on the cake when you have a dream just to circumnavigate, so I’m thrilled with every measure of the whole thing.”

Doctors, students, teachers, lawyers, secretaries and a taxi driver are among the crew members who have succeeded in their challenge. On board each of the ten internationally-backed yachts is just one professional, the skipper, whose role it is to lead the team to victory. The crew members are all amateurs, nearly forty percent of whom had no sailing experience when they embarked on their Clipper Training, before setting off on this adventure ten months ago. For every crew member this final race is a poignant moment. Sailing around the world is a considerable achievement – more people have climbed Mount Everest than have raced yachts around the world. The fleet’s arrival in Albert Dock this afternoon is the climax of this once in a lifetime adventure.

Clipper 07-08 began in Liverpool on 16 September 2007 and, over the last ten months, the teams have circumnavigated the globe, crossing the Atlantic three times, the Pacific once, and sailed across the infamous Southern Ocean, with stopovers on five continents.

The Clipper Race is the brainchild of legendary yachtsman, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who, in 1969 became the first man to sail solo, non-stop around the world. In 1996, he created the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race to give ordinary people the opportunity to follow in his footsteps. At the crew reception and prize giving set against the atmospheric backdrop of the imposing St George’s Hall, Sir Robin addressed the massed crews, their families and friends. He told them, “I said to you one thing before you set out. At the end of this race I wanted you to be able to say, that’s the best thing I’ve done with my life – so far. I hope this has been the experience you hoped it would be. I hope you’ll continue to sail. And I suppose for many of you there’s a small matter of work to get back to. I hope you’ll go back with very different attitudes. You’ll be able to say, ‘I’ve sailed around the world with Clipper now and I can probably do better than I did before.’ That’s what you’ve taught yourselves. You’ll have made friendships that will last for the rest of your lives. And above all, you’ve achieved one of the most difficult things in sport, and the highest achievement in sailing – a circumnavigation.”

To date more than 1,400 people have become ocean racers by taking part in the Clipper Race and, of these, nearly 300 have achieved the rare accolade of becoming a circumnavigator by racing around the world under sail. Sixty-two new circumnavigators have joined the ranks of this exclusive club following the fleet’s arrival in Liverpool today.

Councillor Warren Bradley, leader of Liverpool City Council and Deputy Chairman of the Liverpool Culture Company said, “We’re delighted to welcome the Clipper crews back to Liverpool at the end of their journey – I’m sure our famous waterfront was a welcome sight after such an epic round-the-world adventure. “This is the third time that the race has ended in Liverpool and it is particularly fitting that the yachts are sailing back into the city right in the middle of our European Capital of Culture celebrations. In fact, the Clipper Race finish heralds the start of a month of maritime activity for Liverpool, with the Tall Ships’ Races arriving in just two weeks’ time.”

For the ten sponsoring cities and territories, which also include Durban, Western Australia, Singapore, Qingdao, Jamaica and Nova Scotia, the benefits of the race are immense with the race providing an international platform to promote their messages and brands to a truly global audience. Along with the media opportunities, the Clipper Race also offers sponsors a multitude of global trade openings and networking opportunities. The Clipper Race provides inspirational stories that captivate readers and viewers around the world. More than 354.4 million people worldwide will have seen coverage of Clipper 07-08, generating an undiscounted media value of US$56.85 million for the sponsors.

The ten-part television series to accompany the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race, produced by the event’s host broadcaster, Sunset+Vine I APP, is currently being shown by broadcasters around the world and others are preparing to show it in the coming months. Current listings can be found in the multimedia section of http://www.clipperroundtheworld.com.

For media information, interviews or photographs, please contact:

Zoe Williamson, Communications Coordinator
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Mobile: +44 (0) 7793 417751
Email: zwilliamson@clipper-ventures.com

Heather Ewing, Communications Coordinator
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
Mobile: +44 (0) 7792 408 695
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

For further information about Clipper 07-08 visit www.clipperroundtheworld.com

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Clipper fleet departs Cork for final sprint to Liverpool

2008-07-04T08:32:00.000+01:00

Royal Cork Yacht Club, Cork, Ireland
03 July 2008

Race 14, the final race of the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race series from Cork, Ireland, to Liverpool, UK, is underway with the crew of Hull & Humber signalling their intent from the outset and crossing the start line first. Currently in second place overall with just this race remaining, Hull & Humber must beat New York by at least four places to claim the Clipper Trophy.

In 8-10 knots of wind from the southwest, Nova Scotia was second across the start line at Weavers Point, Crosshaven, County Cork. New York crossed third and quickly moved in behind Hull & Humber, putting pressure on the British boat.

Durban 2010 and Beyond, one of the teams locked in a four-way battle for fourth place overall crossed the start line behind New York, followed by Jamaica, Qingdao, and Glasgow: Scotland with style Clipper. The Scottish boat is already guaranteed at least third place overall. Liverpool 08, Uniquely Singapore and westernaustralia2011.com completed the order across the start line.

With positions so close and so much at stake in the final race of the Clipper 07-08 series, the Race Committee called on the services of international sailing umpire, Mike O’Connor, to oversee events on the water and Peter Crowley, President of the Irish Sailing Association, as start officer at the Royal Cork Yacht Club’s Weavers Point starting facility.

The wind built to 15 knots as the fleet raced off towards the first turning mark four miles from the start line, where Hull & Humber held on to the advantage, with New York hot on their heels and Jamaica moving up through the fleet to round in third place. At the second mark westernaustralia2011.com, who had taken a wider course than the rest of the fleet, snuck in behind Hull & Humber and New York, just ahead of Jamaica.

As he made final preparations for the final 240-mile sprint towards Liverpool, Hull & Humber skipper, Danny Watson said, “First is still possible. We’ve got a bit of work to do but anything can happen. There’s still great belief on board as there has been all round, everybody’s going to give it their best shot and we’re going to go for it.”

Duggie Gillespie, New York’s skipper, said, “We’re taking the same approach here as we have all along. We’ve watched Hull & Humber all the way around the world and they’re fast. But at the same time anything can happen. It’s not in the bag yet. I’ve been saying to the guys we need to maintain focus and just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”

Joff Bailey, Clipper Race Director, fired the gun to start the final race of Clipper 07-08. He said, “The crews have had a fantastic time here at the Royal Cork Yacht Club. We’ve been well looked after and I’d like to extend my thanks to the entire team here, in particular Admiral Mike McCarthy, John Roche and Colin Morehead who have worked tirelessly to make sure everything ran smoothly during the stopover. I hope we will be able to bring the Clipper Race back in the future and it would be fantastic to see an Irish entry in the race as well.”

Fáilte Ireland and Cork County Council also backed the stopover at the Royal Cork Yacht Club where, on Tuesday evening, the crews were formally welcomed to the club at the Heineken-sponsored prize giving ceremony. Delegations from other sponsoring cities also attended, including Glasgow, Jamaica, Durban and Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia’s Tourism Minister, Bill Dooks, was reunited with the crew he sailed with during the stopover in the province.

John Roche, press officer for the Royal Cork Yacht Club, which has an extensive cadet programme, said, “We have really enjoyed having the Clipper 07-08 fleet here. What really summed up the whole event from the club’s point of view was the function at the County Hall where we had Sir Robin introducing Sonny Allott, one of the young sailors from Hull & Humber, which epitomized the whole thing: the experienced sailor to the young novice who acquitted himself so well in front of the County Mayor and the other dignitaries. This is really what it’s all about.”

Before the race start, the ten internationally-backed 68-foot yachts sailed in formation past the waterfront at picturesque Cobh. They were led by the Irish Naval ship, L.E. Aisling.

The ten internationally-backed 68-foot yachts competing in the 35,000-mile race are expected to finish Race 14 in the early hours of Saturday morning, and the fleet will gather at the Liverpool Bar buoy before racing down the Mersey in the Liverpool 08 Dash which will finish at approximately 1130 local time (1030 GMT) at Dukes Mast on the 2008 European Capital of Culture’s historic waterfront.

Large crowds are expected in Liverpool, European Capital of Culture 2008 to welcome the fleet back to Albert Dock. The programme for the day can be viewed here: Liverpool_Race_Finish_Programme.pdf

ENDS

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Images from the Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race are hosted by World Wide Images on their online gallery at www.w-w-i.com/clipper_0708_race/.
They are free for editorial use. Journalists may register on the site to obtain access to them.

The Clipper 07-08 Round the World Yacht Race will finish in Liverpool UK on 5 July after ten months and 35,000 miles of ocean racing. The overall race is divided into seven legs and a total of 14 individual races. Points are accumulated according to each race position, and the yacht with the highest total at the finish wins the race trophy.

For media information and to arrange interviews, photographs contact:

Heather Ewing, Communications Coordinator (in Ireland. GMT +1)
Local cell phone number: +353 (0)87 900 8308
UK Mobile: +44 (0)7792 408 695
Email: hewing@clipper-ventures.com

Zoe Williamson, Communications Coordinator
Tel: +44 (0) 2392 526000
UK Mobile: +44 (0)7793 417 751
Email: zwilliamson@clipper-ventures.com

For further information log onto www.clipperroundtheworld.com

Visitors, users and viewers of the content to which this notice is attached may copy it for re-use and syndicate the content by whatever means for use to other internet content sites on condition the source of all material so used is acknowledged with the attachment of the following notice.
www.superyachtnews.blogspot.com 2008
www.ajaxnetphoto.com 2008
This content may be used in any print media made available for commercial resale.
The products and companies named in this website content are trademarks, registered trademarks or servicemarks of their respective owners or licensed users.