Charter a yacht for the next Asian regatta.
Sunsail was delighted to accept the award for 'Best Asia-Based Charter Company' at the Asia Boating Awards 2009 recently held in Shanghai. The world’s largest yacht charter operator, have a diverse fleet of yachts in Asian waters and offer all year round sailing opportunities. The extended season allows the yachts to be available the first week of June for the Koh Samui Regatta and Phuket Raceweek mid July. Sunsail Asia have a new look website www.sunsailasia.com offering special packages and promotions with regular updates on Sunsail's activities in the Asian region. Direct contact Tel: +66 (0)76 239057 Email: sales@sunsailasia.com

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CONTENTS

1. EDITORIAL - Not everything is about racing - Capt Marty wins Ericsson 4 - Helly Hansen wet weather jacket
2. AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS - Musical chairs at MYA AGM - Sail Malaysia - Passage to the East Yacht Rally Starts 3rd May - Sail Indonesia has an entirely new program for 2009 - Get ready for the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009 Samui - Japanese GP 42's ready for Audi MedCup Circuit - Singapore voted Best Asian Maritime Capital - Historic Chinese sailing junk sunk by foreign freighter - Minoru Saito - Disaster Follows Cape Horn Triumph - LIMA 09 - Premier Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition - 1st Asian Youth Games in Singapore - Malaysian Academy becomes IMarEST Maritime Partner - Antarctic ice shelf break-off 'imminent' - New Arabian 100ft Class leaves Boatspeed yard - New growth for Women's Match Racing
Up next - Sail Malaysia - Passage to the East Yacht Rally - Sawadee.com Regatta 2009 Samui (June 1st- 6th)
3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS - 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit gets underway - iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series kicks of in May - VOR port applications for next race - Velux 5 Oceans encourages older boats - Be careful what you wish for...
Follow the - Volvo Ocean Race - Portimão Global Ocean Race
4. WORLD SPEED RECORDS - Yves Parlier new hydraplaneur project
5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month" - Hobart Champion Ausmaid wrecked on Noosa Beach

1. EDITORIAL

Last month we experienced lengthy interruptions to our email service, way beyond our control, so we humbly ask that any serious business emails like buying a boat or advertising quotes be resent. The servers apparently came under heavy attack forcing the Sun Microsystems programs to become corrupted. Wow! Sounds like a bunch of politicians voting on a pay rise.

Although we have just had another successful Top of the Gulf Regatta (See Race Reports), it has been quite a while between events as everything seemed to be cramped into the first two months of the year. As Chinese New Year and Easter revert to March and April respectively, next year the popular regatta time slots will get some separation. However earlier this week I was reminded, not everything is about racing in this part of the world. Admiral Marina started to fill up with boats that are heading to Johor Baru for Sail Malaysia - Passage to the East Yacht Rally, which officially starts on May 10th from the newly completed Puteri Harbour within the massive Nusajaya complex. This adventure will take 47 odd cruising yachts on a four month cruise up the east coast of the peninsula before crossing the South China Sea to Sarawak, Brunei and Sabah. This is one of two rallies organised by Sail Malaysia this year with the objective to promote the less traveled sailing destinations in East Malaysia. After all for the majority of boat owners, it is more of a lifestyle sort of thing that makes them take up the challenge and the rewards include a sense of achievement, adventure, friendship and camaraderie that lasts a lifetime.

Next up is the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009 Samui (June 1st- 6th) which is shaping up to be another memorable event. Although Neil Pryde has already won the AY Grand Prix Championships and will be crowned the 2008-09 Skipper and Yacht of the Year at Koh Samui, there is still the bragging rights, prestigious trophies and champagne celebrations to fight over.

Good news for subscribers is the day after Ericsson 4's arrived in Rio, Torben Grael drew Capt Marty's name first out of the hat to win an Ericsson Racing Team - Helly Hansen wet weather jacket. This was an on line competition to vote for crew members date and time predictions for when they expected to round Cape Horn on Leg 5 of the VOR. As Ryan Godfrey's date (March 17 @ 1200GMT) was the latest of all and as the going was very slow we selected him for our Cape Horn bet, and wallah first of three winners to come out of the hat. We have already received the autographed photo of this memorable occasion and will post photos when we receive the jacket. Thanks to Torben and all the crew for allowing us to share the experience, be it from behind a computer desk but we will always treasure the memories.

All these events and more are either covered below and regularly updated on the website. Enjoy!
Capt Marty Rijkuris

2. AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS

2.1 Musical chairs at MYA AGM
At the Malaysian Yachting Association (MYA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on Saturday 18th April 2009 at the Hotel Selesa, Pasir Gudang, Johor Baru the following members (See Photo) were elected as office bearers for 2009-2010. After conforming to the new constitution under the National Sports Council of Malaysia umbrella where only state associations can vote Tan Sri Dato' Muhammad Ali Hashim was elected unopposed as President and Tuan HJ Lukan Bin Abu Bakar his Deputy President. The East Malaysian state of Sabah saw Christopher Chin Soo Yin take over the role of Vice President and Puan Shoon Yun Chin elected as one of the seven Council members. Tabled motions were discussed and Hasslan Ismail's move to commit 25% of the annual budget towards keelboat training and racing was handed to the incoming committee to discuss further. More on the MYA and annual race program at http://www.sailing.org.my/

Final NOR for the KFC-11th Tunku Laxamana Open Regatta 2009.from the 23rd to 26th July in Port Dickson is available now. Please note the change of venue from RPDYC to Bagan Pinang Beach. Its about 2km North from RPDYC towards Port Dickson town. The nearest accommodation (walking distance) is the Golden Straits Villa which is indicated in the NOR. More details contact the Persatuan Perahu Layar Negeri Sembilan by Email: sailmalaysia@gmail.com Fax: 606-6474446/606-6513604 Tel: 606-6474446 H/P: 6012-3149233

2.2 Sail Malaysia - Passage to the East Yacht Rally Starts 10th May
Is one of 2 rallies organised by Sail Malaysia this year. The objective of the event is to promote the less traveled sailing destinations in east Malaysia. Twelve (12) Malaysian destinations plus Brunei are in store for the rally fleet - Penang, Lumut, Danga Bay, Puteri Harbour, Sebana Cove, Tioman Island, Kuantan, Kapas Island, Kuala Terengganu, Santubong-Kuching, Miri, Brunei and Kota Kinabalu - where a host of dinners, receptions and exciting activities awaits. The rally will finish in Sutera Harbour Marina on 2 August and a convoy to Sail Bunaken 2009 is available to anyone interested in sailing to Manado after that on 4 August. More info contact Sazli Kamal Basha mail@sailmalaysia.net Website: http://www.sailmalaysia.net H/P: 6 012 2094418

2.3 Sail Indonesia has an entirely new program for 2009
After extensive meetings at the end of February 2009 in both Jakarta and Manado the Indonesian Government have decided that the traditional Western Passage will be cancelled for 2009. For this year, Sail Indonesia are working in partnership with Indonesia's Premier Marine Event for 2009, Sail Bunaken can be found at: http://www.sailbunaken2009.com/index.php Sail Bunaken is Indonesia's largest marine event of the year and the Indonesian Government wish to make it a big success for 2009 and plan to attract as many participants as possible through Sail Indonesia. The Sail Indonesia program for 2009 is now being rearranged and can be found at: http://www.sailindonesia.net/indonesia/schedule.php

Participants will be able so see some of the more remote parts of Indonesia away from the well worn tourist areas. At each of these stopovers you will be able to experience different peoples and their cultures, different lifestyles, different arts, crafts, foods and even different languages. In announcing the recent changes, the organisers said: 'There have been some changes to the route across Indonesia for 2009. Sail Indonesia will be free for 2009 and there will be also an amount of $5000 USD as cash prizes for some stages of the event.' Find out how to join the events at: http://www.sailindonesia.net/home/home.php

2.4 Get ready for the Sawadee.com Regatta 2009 Samui
The 8th time a regatta is held at Koh Samui which is a mixture of passage and buoy racing in the Gulf of Thailand in conjunction with a variety of good parties held at some of the classiest resorts on the Island. The wonderful relaxed location of Koh Samui mixed in with pleasant Thai hospitality and top racing makes this venue one of the best in Asia. More info, Entry Forms and NOR can be found at: http://samuiregatta.ning.com/ After last years success the regatta is once again organised by MobyElite who can be contacted by E-mailing: ksr@mobyelite.com The Title Sponsors have created a social network on Ning that will bring a new dimension on how organizers can interact before and during the event with the sailors and general public alike.

2.5 Japanese GP 42's ready for Audi MedCup Circuit
Final preparations are underway among the six teams competing in the GP 42 Series starting with the City of Alicante Trophy, 12 – 17 May. The field is diverse yet competitive, with both new teams and established teams hailing from Europe and Asia getting ready to converge for racing in Alicante. And the newest team to the GP 42’s comes to the Audi MedCup from the furthest distance, as owner Keisuke Suzuki has assembled an experienced team from Japan to assist him on his newly-acquired ’07 B&C design Swing (ex-Telefonica). While new to the GP 42’s, this team has been competing successfully for over a decade in many high-profile inshore and offshore events in the Pacific, the US, and Europe. Assisting Suzuki tactically will be Tatsuya Wakinaga and in strategy Kenichi Nakamura, with the other team members including Akihiro Kana, Takumi Nakamura, Shiro Uemura, Shiro Uemura, Yoichi Kawakami, Seitaro Shinkai, Natsumi Sato and Norio Igei. Further information: http://www.medcup.org

2.6 Singapore voted Best Asian Maritime Capital
Singapore bagged the Best Asian Maritime Capital Award at the Asia Boating Awards 2009, beating other cities in contention that included Dubai, Hong Kong, Phuket and Qingdao. This year the Gala Dinner was hosted in Shanghai, on Friday 17th April.and held alongside the China International Boat Show. A number of factors contributed to Singapore’s win. Earlier this year, it hosted a stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race, raising its stature in the world of sailing. It is a regular stopover for the Clipper Around the World Race, but more than that, Singapore Tourism with corporate sponsor Keppel Corporation sponsors a yacht, Uniquely Singapore, which helps brand Singapore from a yachting perspective. It’s recently formed Superyacht Singapore Association is embarking on initiatives to promote Singapore and the region as a superyacht destination. Looking ahead, Singapore recently made a successful pitch against Venice to become the first Asian city to host the triennial World Marina Conference in May 2011. Other Singapore wins at the Awards were One15 Marina Club, which walked away with the Best Asian Marina Award, while Singapore-listed yacht builder Grand Banks took the Best Asian Motor Yacht Builder Award in the category for yachts between 51 and 85 feet.

2.7 Historic Chinese sailing junk sunk by foreign freighter
A Hong Kong-registered Chinese sailing junk, Princess Taiping, sank off the northeastern Taiwan fishing port of Suao on Sunday 26th April, after it was struck by an unknown foreign freighter, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) reported. The Princess Taiping is a rebuilt Ming Dynasty sailing junk, set sail from Taiwan's north eastern Keelung Bisha Fishing Port on June 26, 2008 and has made port calls in Japan, the west coast of the United States, Hawaii and Saipan over the past 10 months on an ambitious, engineless cross-Pacific voyage. The Princess Taiping put out from Naha, Okinawa for Taiwan and was scheduled to return to Bisha later to complete a cross-Pacific voyage that would have set a record as the first by a rebuilt Ming Dynasty sailing junk without mechanical power. Two of the crew members had serious injuries to the head and neck, respectively, while the others were receiving treatment in two military hospitals in Taipei City for hypothermia. Some of the crew said that during the chaos after the junk was hit, they spotted the name of the freighter as Champion Express. A check of the maritime charts by the Suao-based CGA found that a vessel named Champion Express was indeed in the area at that time. Radar records showed that the freighter, which was heading north before it rammed into the Princess Taiping, made an abrupt turn in a westerly direction after the sailing junk broke in two. The ship then turned northward and fled, the records showed. When she sank, it was only a few hours, or roughly 42 nautical miles, from completing the 10-month round trip challenge, as it was scheduled to pull into Keelung's Bisha Fishing Port later in the day. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/chrkjc

2.8 Minoru Saito - Disaster Follows Cape Horn Triumph
Minoru Saito, that legendary 75 year-old Japanese sailor on his eighth circumnavigation rounded Cape Horn - for the fifth time - but his glee has been tempered by a storm which has disabled his yacht and driven him back under tow to Punta Arenas. Saito-san had trouble with two of the battens of his mainsail, but, little daunted, had rounded Cape Horn against the wind, using only headsails. He intended to wait until calmer weather to repair the battens. Bad luck was to court his movements in the days to come. He suffered a fall which damaged his ear. At this time he started to realise that his radar was not working properly. As the days went by, and the conditions deteriorated, more damage was done to the yacht. Owing to a low some 250nm south, the winds went up to 45 knots and the seas to 10 metres. His autopilot had become erratic. Morning daylight showed that his sideband radio antenna had disappeared in the night, and the six man survival raft had become dislodged from its position. Conditions were too bad for him to go forward to make repairs to the raft connection. He decided to lie a hull and wait for the bad conditions to pass, as it was impossible to make way, especially without a mainsail in the conditions, and he was afraid of doing more damage to the yacht. Then the final piece of bad luck - Saito-san lost the use of his rudder and the yacht was disabled and drifting helplessly. His support team contacted the Chilean Navy, who sent a Chilean factory boat, the only boat they considered able to make way in the conditions, which were still seas of 8.5 metres. By the time the fishing boat reached him, Saito-san had drifted for 20 hours in 45knot winds and the 8-10 metre seas. Follow Saito-sans challenge at: http://www.saito8.com/

2.9 DK Yachts dominate the racing class
Three King's Cup victories for the top performing DK 46 (Hull# 02 Drumstick in 2005, 2006, and Hull# 07 Quantum Racing in 2008). Making it three wins for Ray Roberts of which two have been on two different DK46’s, added onto his unmatched International racing record has led Ray and Quantum Racing to being crowned AsianYachting 2007-08 Skipper and Yacht of the Year. If you still want proof follow the up and coming regatta at Koh Samui where they will again be taking on a full International fleet of top class racers. So what are you waiting for? Serious Yachts for Serious Sailors can be found at http://www.dkyachts.com

2.10 LIMA 09 - Premier Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition
Malaysia is once again proud to play host to the 10th edition of the LIMA Exhibition, which will be held from 1 – 5 December 2009 in Langkawi. The Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition is the premier destination for aerospace and maritime manufacturers targeting the Asia Pacific growth markets. For nearly 20 years, LIMA has been serving exhibitor needs by assembling key decision makers from the defense, enforcement and civil sectors. LIMA '09 will not only showcase the latest Maritime and Aerospace technology but also attracts thousands of senior government officials, military representatives and industry professionals to see manufacturers and suppliers displaying leading defence solutions. Check it out at: http://www.lima2009.com.my/

2.11 1st Asian Youth Games in Singapore
Will be held from 29 June to 7 July 2009 in Singapore. The sailing events for 14 & 15 year olds will be held at the National Sailing Centre. Organisers are expecting a good turnout of up to 70 sailors from 18 countries from throughout Asia. The four sailing events and equipment for the 1st Asian Youth Games Singapore are: One person dinghy boys – Byte CII?One person dinghy girls – Byte CII Windsurfing boys – Techno 293 Windsurfing girls – Techno 293. The Byte CII and Techno 293 were chosen as equipment by the International Sailing Federation for the four sailing events at the Youth Olympic Games to be also held in Singapore in August 2010. For more information, please contact: HO Shu Fen (Ms) Marketing & Communications Executive Singapore Sailing Federation Tel: +65 64444555 Mobile: +65 9793 8443 Email: shufen@singaporesailing.org.sg Web: http://www.sailing.org.sg

2.12 Quantum Sails going from strength to strength
Have you ever noticed that more and more photos of winning boats at top events are wearing the familiar Green Q on their sails. Quantum Sail Design Group designs, engineers and manufactures sails for racers and cruisers all over the world who demand the highest levels of quality and performance. US SAILING's Rolex Yachtsman of the Year, Terry Hutchinson and Quantum Racing are ready to defend the 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit and TP52 World Championship title they captured last year which starts on May 12th with the City of Alicante Trophy. Along with his other professional racing commitments in 2009, Terry will be campaigning Barking Mad on the European Farr 40 Circuit and World titles in Italy. The fastest sails are now available at 55 lofts throughout the world. So now, more than ever, you can count on Fusion M delivering great boat-speed and reliability. Goto: http://asianyachting.com/news/QuantumSails.htm

2.13 Malaysian Academy becomes IMarEST Maritime Partner
More popularly known by its Malaysian acronym as ALAM, has become an Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) Marine Partner Marine Partners is the customized corporate package that enables organizations of all types and IMarEST to enjoy an ever closer working relationship. There are now over 30 IMarEST Marine Partners around the world. "We are delighted to welcome ALAM as a Marine Partner," says Samantha Dawkins IMarEST's Corporate Relations Executive. "It is one of the leading maritime academies in Asia and now trains students from more than 10 nations worldwide. We are looking forward to working with them and their student body." As a recognized institution of higher learning the ALAM offers a full 'suite' of courses and programs for maritime and sea-going professionals, including diploma and post-graduate programs in marine engineering and nautical studies and STCW related training and 'Certificates of Competency' courses for Engineering and Deck Officers. Full details at: http://www.bymnews.com/news/newsDetails.php?id=53136

2.14 Antarctic ice shelf break-off 'imminent'
A massive ice shelf is 'imminently' close to breaking away from part of the Antarctic Peninsula, said scientists investigating whether the break-up is caused by global climate change. Satellite images released by the European Space Agency last week show new cracks in the Wilkins Ice Shelf where it connects to Charcot Island. Wilkins is about half the area of Scotland and is the largest ice shelf on the Antarctic Peninsula yet to be threatened. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is pushing to protect Antarctica's fragile environment by imposing mandatory limits on the size of yachts and cruise ships sailing there and the number of passengers they bring ashore. She is proposing an amendment to the 50-year-old Antarctic Treaty that would seek to mandate, under international law, the current voluntary restrictions on tourism..

2.15 New Arabian 100ft Class leaves Boatspeed yard
Boatspeed Australia has nearly completed the building of yet another state of the art 105 ft trimaran yacht. This yacht is one of the new Arabian 100 Class for Oman in the Middle East. It only took six months to complete the mainhull, beams and floats. The yacht has been sent as components to Oman where it will be assembled. A number of Boatspeed staff will fly out in approximately a month to carry out the assembly alongside apprentices from Oman Sail. All of the parts were shrink wrapped in plastic on Monday 6th April and transported that evening. The long load was taken by road to Newcastle where it was loaded on board a ship bound for Salalah in Oman.

2.16 Discovery & Learn to SAIL courses in Malaysia
We are constantly updating the Learn to Sail with Asian Yachtmasters keelboat training scheme with courses that suite the local sailing scene. If you would like to receive a brief taste of what sailing is all about, check out the dates for the Discover Keelboat Sailing program. If you are looking for a more hands on approach to sailing on a racing yacht then Register Online... for the 2-Day Introduction to Sailing course. No previous sailing experience is needed and start your trip by flying to KLIA (Port Dickson is less than a hours drive from the airport). Also available for pre-Chinese wedding photos, team building or impressing your friends with a quick trip around the harbour. If your interested in AY Sailing Courses goto: http://asianyachting.com/AYmasters/classes.htm or contact the AY Headquarters on +6 06 6477701, Hasslan +6 016 2564532 or Email: info@asianyachting.com

2.17 New growth for Women's Match Racing
With the new Olympic boat, the ISAF Elliott 6m, making its debut at the ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Sailing World Cup event in Kiel, Germany, in June and women's match racing events growing in number and participation throughout the world, our sport has never been stronger. New teams are joining the ranks and established match racing teams are developing Olympic programs. Over 70 Elliott 6ms will be built and distributed in 2009 to the 16 countries that requested them through the ISAF allocation plan. These countries include Israel and China where match racing programs are being newly established as well as countries with long-standing match racing history. Currently the WIMRA (Women's International Match Racing Association) Calendar lists over 60 ISAF Graded women's match racing events in 2009 in more than 20 countries with additional events being added every month. The calendar also lists a number of youth and open match racing events where women are strongly encouraged to compete. More information: http://www.wimra.org

3. INTERNATIONAL NEWS

3.1 2009 Audi MedCup Circuit gets underway
Five regattas in relatively quick succession means that each single regatta this season is more important, leaving less opportunity for crews to learn, change and optimise on the race course. Eleven TP52’s and six GP42’s are lining up for the the curtain raiser City of Alicante Trophy regatta, and the TP52’s class manager Rob Weiland confirms there is still a promising level of interest and activity from all around the world for possible charters for TP52’s for single and two or three Audi MedCup regattas this season. “I think we might yet still see the same size of fleet at some regattas this season as we had last season which is quite encouraging. There is interest from several different countries which is very encouraging.” said Weiland, who helps match potential charters to existing, available boats. Racing at the City of Alicante Trophy starts with the Practice Race on Tuesday 12th May, thereafter racing for the TP52 Series points starts on Wednesday 13th May and the GP42 Series points racing starts on Thursday 14th after a Practice Race Wednesday. New TP52's this year are: Matador - built in Spain for Alberto Roemmers’ Argentinean team and the Cookson New Zealand built boats - Artemis for Torbjorn Tornqvist, SWE and Emirates Team New Zealand’s. - http://www.medcup.org/

3.2 iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series kicks of in May
5th May, Paris: The 2009 iShares Cup Extreme 40 Sailing Series was officially launched with the top line-up of skippers and sailors in attendance alongside Rick Andrews, Head of iShares Marketing Europe at the Parc Nautique de l'île de Monsieur, Sèvres. And for the first time ever the Extreme 40s actually sailed on the River Seine, stopping passers by in their tracks as the 40-foot catamarans raced by! The award-winning series visits six major European destinations this season in Italy, France, UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain between May and October. Each regatta is made of up three days of competition with a media day held on the preceding day of each event. Up to 24 short and adrenalin-pumping races can be staged at each round, each race lasting just 15-20 minutes. The first event kicks off in Venice, Italy, on the 15th to 17th May. Follow all the action at: http://www.iSharesCup.com

3.3 VOR port applications for next race
Riding high on record media and spectator numbers in the current event, Volvo Event Management UK (VEMUK), event organiser of the Volvo Ocean Race, announced that it has received 71 formal Expressions of Interest from 37 different countries to host one of a maximum of 8 “Stopovers” in the Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12. The Expressions of Interest were received in response to a formal request sent out last month by The Sports Consultancy, the specialist agency managing the bidding process on VEMUK’s behalf. -- Read on: http://tinyurl.com/cqvoqk

3.4 Velux 5 Oceans encourages older boats
As the oldest singlehanded round-the-world race, the Velux 5 Oceans inspired the birth of the Open 60 as we now know it, launched careers and spawned the Vendee Globe. In 2010-11 not only will we be embracing the elite professional sailors in our Open 60 Class, but we will premiere a new concept for short- handed sailing, the Eco 60 Class, which is designed to broaden the reach of solo offshore racing through economy and ecology. The Eco 60 class will encompass Open 60 yachts launched before 1 January 2003 and will feature additional regulations intended to limit costs and encourage positive environmental practices. We are optimistic that the Eco 60 will create a competitive sporting arena for a diverse group of skippers, ranging widely in nationalities, racing experience and motivations. This new class will take advantage of the large number of third- generation Open 60s that are now for sale. As development takes the newest generation of Open 60 to new levels of performance, and ever increasing budgets, excellent previous-generation boats are sidelined. These tried and tested racing machines, proven in the world's toughest oceans are lying unused; remarkable when you consider that six of the finishers in the latest Vendee Globe - including Sam Davies' Roxy - qualify for the new Eco 60 class. Now the potential of all these fine boats can be harnessed once again.

3.5 Be careful what you wish for...
GGYC/BMW Oracle has been absolutely consistent on wanting AC 33 to be a multi-challenger event. Since this saga began, almost immediately after Alinghi had won the 32nd America’s Cup, Tom Ehman has said, over and over again, that - even though they challenged Alinghi to a Deed of Gift match - BMW Oracle did not want to exclude other challengers. In fact, we were compelled to begin preparations for a default match in a multi-hull solely because of Alinghi's refusal to negotiate with us toward an AC 32-type protocol. As we have consistently and publicly stated – and made abundantly clear to Ernesto Bertarelli – it has always been our intent to negotiate a conventional multi-challenger regatta with fair and competitive rules”. GGYC is now free to do exactly that, for SNG has already expressed its willingness for the challenger selection to be open to other teams and has encouraged GGYC to offer would be challengers more time to prepare if necessary. When teams that had previously entered AC33 were sounded out, to see if they would be interested in competing in a multi-challenger, multihull event, the first reactions must have disappointed BMW Oracle. Team New Zealand’s Grant Dalton said “In practical terms it's completely impractical. The initial disappointment was, happily, also short lived for the French multihull world quickly showed that it did not share Dalton's view, with encouraging approaches coming in from French teams that already have both sponsors and boats. So, which French multihull teams want to compete? Understandably, nobody wants to go public until they have more details of the calendar and format that BMW Oracle has in mind for a multihull Challenger Selection Series. It is not, however, hard to identify a number of potential challengers. More at BYM News: http://www.bymnews.com/americas-cup-33/wishes-come-true.php Meanwhile a Louis Vuitton Series using AC32 version boats is rumored to be more likely with regattas taking place in Auckland, USA, Spain and Asia. http://www.boatingoz.com.au/?page=28271

4. WORLD SPEED RECORDS

4.1 Yves Parlier new hydraplaneur project
Yves Parlier unveiled beyond the sea® to the press with the hydraplaneur Solinarex in an on-site demonstration on Lake Geneva. Built in carbon fibre and fitted with stepped hulls, the boat is much faster than other designs used today. The boat is a hydraplaneur, an Yves Parlier Trademark. The kite increases safety by removing the heeling moment found in a classic rig and the electric drive uses recovered solar energy and liberates the boat from the combustion engine. It is a simple-to-use system: fewer ropes, less winching, simplified fittings, and above all minimum clutter; a few minutes are all it takes to store the kite in a back-pack. In competition the kite puts less strain on the boat's structure and lessens the weight. Giving a speed of 6 knots under motor, the boat attains 25 knots with its kite and has a target speed of 30 knots. More on this project at: http://www.parlier.org/beyond_the_sea/eng/beyond_the_sea.php

5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month"

5.1 Hobart Champion Ausmaid wrecked on Noosa Beach
Bruce Absolon the proud owner of dual Sydney Hobart race winner Ausmaid experienced a yacht owner's worst nightmare when the champion sloop was wrecked on Noosa's north shore beach. The pedigree of the Bruce Farr designed 14.47m sloop which had mastered the storm tormented Tasman Sea, became an image of shattered dreams on the lonely rain drenched beach. Her crew began a struggle for survival south of Double Island Point on Thursday 2nd April morning when her rig snapped during a 360 degree 'capsize' under the foaming fury of a growling 11 metre wave. Ausmaid had entered the final 90nm of her delivery trip from Hamilton Island to contest the 61st Brisbane to Gladstone race when the activation of an EPIRB signal alerted rescue authorities that a vessel was in trouble when a severe low depression closed on the Sunshine Coast. Thankfully the three crew members were winched to safety by the AGL Rescue Helicopter crew while Noosa Coast Guard towed the crippled sloop to safer waters under the lee of Noosa Heads National Park. Ausmaid was believed to be safely anchored in Laguna Bay but she broke away and was blown into the foaming breakers and left wrecked on the wet sand. As expected Bruce Absolon said he was shattered by the loss of his champion yacht which he described as "priceless and "absolutely irreplaceable".

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