Welcome to the Wonderful World of AsianYachting February
2008 GONG
Xl FA CAI from AY |
Raimon Land - Down by the River |
New
Feature...
|
After opening the first commercial AsianYachting Center in Malaysia last year we are taking the Learn to Sail with Asian Yachtmasters keelboat training scheme onto the next level. As it is our intention to form an AY Racing Team, we are looking for serious sailors that want to develop there skills to go on and successfully compete at regional keelboat regattas and match racing events. If you want to TRY OUT for our AY Racing Team we have set aside some weekends when we will take sailing anyone that is interested in making up the core of sailors needed to form a team. The first TRY OUT dates for our AY Racing Team are Feb 2nd, 3rd, 16th, 17th Further info on training courses and competition events the team is expecting to compete in this year can be found at: http://asianyachting.com/AYmasters/classes.htm
Distribution: Emailed to over 2700 recipients on all points of the compass. Known to be read by sailors as far north as Iceland to the extremes of the Southern Ocean. Also found hidden away (For future consumption) on computers operated by some of Europe's business elite to visiting royalty at posh oriental Clubs in the far east.
AsianYachting.com is now a major yachting news provider in Asia which averages over 2000 page views per day.
CONTENTS
1.
EDITORIAL - Welcome
boost for Keelboat racing from yacht clubs and national authorities. Monthly
Photo
Gallery
2 .
AUSTRAL
- ASIAN NEWS - Raimon
Land sponsors Thai Platu Championships -
Singapore for
YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES 2010 - Any
Asian team good enough for ISAF Nations Cup?
- VOR Stopover in India - Middle East canned!
Up next - Phang
Nga Bay Regatta (Feb 7th to 10th), 6th
Boracay Race starts in Manila Feb 20th.
3 . INTERNATIONAL NEWS - FOR THE RECORD - Gitana 13 ROUTE
DE L'OR - GROUPAMA
3 FINALLY DEPARTS - HISTORIC HAT-TRICK FOR SIR ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON
- CRUISING CLUB AWARDS
Up next - WORLD
ARC Started - EARLY
WORLDS FOR OLYMPIC CLASSES - Final stags of Barcelona
World Race
4.
WORLD SPEED RECORDS
-
Francis Joyon & IDEC pulverize
solo, non-stop RTW record
5. "Unluckiest sailors of the month"
- Thomas
Coville's Sodeb'O sets 24hr record then forced to abandon RTW attempt.
Goto Archived AY News & Views and Race Reports 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 2000-01 98-99
1.
EDITORIAL
Over the last year small keelboat racing has received a welcome boost from yacht clubs and national authorities taking them under there wing and producing an annual calendar of events. Ocean Marina Yacht Club in Thailand have come up with the five regatta Platu One Design Championships. Between the Malaysian Yachting Association, Royal Selangor Yacht Club and the Royal Malaysian Navy an extensive program of fleet and match racing events is expected to bring local sailors up to speed for International and regional games. Singapore is yet to decide on a suitable design but are reported to be kicking off with J24's and selecting other classes as they go. This has seen the healthy formation of racing teams willing to compete at selected events and is a significant step forward for the sport that has been building up over the last couple of years. Who knows, maybe keelboat sailing in Asia has come of age and finally we are able to field teams at the ISAF Nations Cup - Oceania Regional finals.
January
turned out to be a very hectic month with the Royal
Langkawi Int Regatta leading the way and quickly followed
by the Singapore
Straits. February sees the sailors taking a more leisurely
approach when the 12th QBE Insurance
Phang Nga
Bay Regatta (Feb 7th to 10th) takes place over the Chinese
New Year. Over in the Philippines the 6th
Boracay Race starts in Manila on Feb 20th and ends at the
popular holiday destination where the wind and partying never seems to
stop.
On
the International scene the Clipper fleet have stopped over in Singapore
and gone onto Qingdao. Volvo Race entrants should keep a close eye on
there progress as they will be traversing the same stretch of water about
the same time next year. French sailors with iron resolutions are dominating
the news wires. Francis Joyon on IDEC has pulverized Ellen MacArthur's
solo non-stop round the world record by a miraculous 14 days. Thomas Coville
on Sodeb'O set a new 24hr record of 619,3 miles at an average speed of
25,8 knots before he was forced to abandon RTW attempt. Franck Cammas
and nine crew set off round the world on the massive 103ft Groupama 3
trimaran on Thurs, Jan 24th for the Jules Verne Trophy. Lionel Lemonchois
crew onboard the 110-ft catamaran Gitana 13 owned by Baron Benjamin de
Rothschild is attempting to break the 14,000-mile record from New York
to San Francisco. Jean-Pierre Dick and Damian Foxall on Paprec-Virbac
2 still lead the Barcelona World Race and are expected to finish early
February. All this and more can be found in the Asian, International,
World Records and "Unluckiest Sailors of the Month" sections
below. Sailing photos gathered
over the last month
including off the beach world championships in Australia and NZ plus Ben
Ainslie winning his fifth Finn Gold Cup can be viewed in the February
Photo Gallery. Enjoy!
Happy Sailing
for now
Capt Marty Rijkuris
2.
AUSTRAL - ASIAN NEWS
2.1
Raimon Land sponsors Thai Platu Championships
Property developer Raimon Land, already well-known for their sponsorship
of sailing events in the Asian region, have offered to sponsor the Platu
class championship series in Thailand through 2008. The series will now
be known as the Raimon Land Platu One Design Championship 2008, and will
include the Platu Open (8-9 March), the Coronation Cup (1-5 May), the
Hua Hin Regatta (1-3 August), Thai National Champs (13-15 September) and
the Varuna Cup (date tbc). Some of the funds will be used to help youth
teams compete by offering Platus for charter FOC. The organisers are also
interested in attracting teams from overseas sources such as China, Russia
and Europe. Interested parties should contact Kev Scott (mob:+66 878 25
00 11, email: kevscott@hotmail.com)
in order to take advantage of sponsorship assistance.
2.2
Any Asian team good enough for ISAF Nations Cup yet?
ISAF have announced that Porto Alegre, Brazil will host the Grand Final
of the 2009 ISAF Nations Cup. In March 2009, the Veleiros do Sul sailing
club in Porto Alegre will host the world's top match racing nations as
they battle in both men's and women's divisions for the fifth edition
of the ISAF Nations Cup. Between September 2008 and January 2009, seven
Regional Finals will take place in Argentina, Germany, India, Ireland,
Italy, the USA, and Oceania to decide which nations will be represented
at the Grand Final in Porto Alegre. Full report: http://www.sailing.org/21956.php?PHPSESSID=5c95df5368bebcf1352852ef53c8e61b
Regional Finals
Asia - Mumbay, India
Europe Open I - Brindisi, Italy
Europe Open II - Kinsale, Ireland
Europe Women - Hamburg, Germany
North
America and the Caribbean - St Petersburg, Florida, USA
South America - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Oceania - to be announced shortly
2.3
Quantum Sails just keep
getting better!
Quantum Sail Design Group designs, engineers and manufactures
sails for racers and cruisers who demand the highest levels of quality
and performance. Have you ever noticed that more and more photos of winning
boats at top events are wearing the familiar green
Q on their sails. That is because winning sailors now
prefer top quality products supported by a high level of personalized
customer service, recognized expertise, professionalism and a company
with the passion for developing the sport of sailing. Ray Roberts on Quantum
Racing is a shining example as they have won nearly everything in
their path both in Australia and Asian waters over the last few years.
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
2.4
Singapore bid for YOUTH OLYMPIC GAMES 2010
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) unveiled the names of the cities
from which a final winner to host the first Summer Youth Olympic Games
in 2010 will be voted on by the IOC membership. Moscow and Singapore were
chosen through a postal vote by the Executive Board and will now be submitted
to a vote by the IOC members. The winning city will be announced by IOC
President Jacques ROGGE in a live web cast on http://www.olympic.org
provisionally scheduled for 21 Feb. The Youth Olympic Games aim to bring
together talented young athletes - age group 14 to 18 - from around the
world. The first Summer Youth Olympic Games will gather approximately
3,200 athletes and 800 officials and feature 100 sailors in four sailing
events: one person dinghy men; one person dinghy women; windsurfing men;
and windsurfing women. The EB decision's on the two finalists was based
on an IOC Evaluation Commission report which marks the conclusion of the
candidature process that started in August 2007 - More at: http://www.sailing.org/development
2.5
EARLY WORLDS FOR OLYMPIC CLASSES
With the 2008 Olympic sailing events scheduled for this August, participating
one design classes have needed to rearrange their typical summer world
championship calendar, and all eleven events will crown a new king or
queen within the next few months. Already the 49er, RS:X Men's and Women's,
Finn, 470 Men's and Women's World titles have been run and won at Sail
Melbourne and Takapuna, New Zealand. See http://www.sailmelbourne.com.au
Here is the rest of the 2008 Worlds schedule:
Laser Worlds: February 7-13 - Terrigal, Australia http://aus08.laserinternational.org
Yngling Women's Worlds: February 10-15 - Miami, Florida, USA http://www.ussailing.org/olympics/ynglingworlds/index.asp
Tornado Worlds: February 22-March 1 - Takapuna, New Zealand http://www.takapunaworlds.org/index.cfm?eid=989
Laser Radial Women's Worlds: March 13-20 - Takapuna, New Zealand http://www.takapunaworlds.org/index.cfm?eid=991
Star Worlds: April 11-18 - Miami, Florida, USA http://www.starworlds2008.com
2.6
VOR Stopover in India - Middle East canned!
Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala, is confirmed as the host of the
second stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race in Dec 2008. The Indian stopover
will come at the end of the second leg of the race from Cape Town, South
Africa. Kochi will be the first of three new ports in Asia. The Cochin
Port Trust, which will be responsible for organising the stopover, with
the full backing of the Kerala Tourism Department, welcomed the signing
of the port agreement and is confident that the stopover will give Kochi
great exposure. The seven yachts participating in the race will arrive
in Kochi in December 2008 and will stay for 10 days, before starting leg
three to Sentosa Island in Singapore. A race village covering 2.5 acres
of land will be set up near the BTP berth at Willingdon Island. However
tucked away beneath the headlines is the decision to bin a Middle East
stopover for the race. Lengthy negotiations over the benefits the race
organisation could expect in Abu Dhabi apparently didn't lead to any firm
commitments and with planning time running out the VOR decided to halt
all the "faffing around" and scrap the stop. More at: http://www.volvooceanrace.org/
2.7
Warning to all offshore racers.
DK Yachts are warning all offshore racers to sit up and
take notice when one of their World Champion Mumm 30, Farr 40, Farr 52
or Mills DK46 lines up on the starting grid. They just keep turning up
and sailing away with all the major prizes. Three wins for Ray Roberts
DK46 Quantum Racing at the Raja Muda Regatta, Royal Langkawi
Regatta, Singapore Straits and second place at the Kings Cup has lifted
them to first place in the annual 2007-08
AYGP Championships. These successful results confirm that
DK46's are head and shoulders above the rest, be it for offshore or inshore
racing. Have you ordered one yet? Serious
Yachts for Serious Sailors
can be found at http://www.dkyachts.com
2.8 New man at the helm of the ISAF Secretariat
Jerome Pels (NED) is the new face at the helm of the International Sailing
Federation’s (ISAF) Secretariat, after taking over on 1st Jan 2008.
Jerome has had a lifelong involvement in the sport, coming from a family
of sailors in Gouda, the Netherlands. Since starting sailing aged 6, he
has been involved in practically every aspect of the sport, from racing
to media, administration, coaching and competition management. Jerome
replaces Arve Sundheim (NOR) who retired after almost 12 years in the
role. Jerome said: “It is both with honour and with great anticipation
that I start 2008 as the ISAF Secretary General. With the Olympic Games
in Qingdao it looks set to be a fantastic year for sailing and I am greatly
looking forward to the challenges and opportunities my new role will bring.
A couple of days after taking over his new position Jerome Pels took the
opportunity to address some of the key issues facing ISAF. Full interview
at: http://www.sailing.org
2.9
Sailing organizers downplay Olympic wind woes
QINGDAO, East China 08-01-2008 -- The Chinese organizers played down concerns
about light wind conditions in Qingdao, venue for the 2008 Olympic sailing
events, saying the coastal city is absolutely capable of providing adequate
racing conditions. Speaking to a pack of Chinese journalists, Qingdao
Vice Mayor Zang Aimin said that judging from the last two years' test
events and the meteorological data for the past 30 years, Qingdao's wind
conditions can meet the standards to hold Olympic sailing competitions.
"Though the city's wind conditions are far from perfect, we are confident
that the Olympic sailing events can proceed without a hitch," she
said. Average August wind speeds here are about 5 meters per second --over
the minimum required for racing by international rules, but short of the
ideal, 7 to 8 mps. Several of the scheduled races in the 2006 and 2007
test events for the Olympic sailing competitions, were postponed or canceled
due to light winds. Zang said scheduling more lay-off days in between
racing days would allow help to make up any backlog this summer. "We
will schedule a 15-day period in order to play safe," she said. Zang
acknowledged that light winds are a challenge for foreign athletes. "But
everybody competes under the same situation. They'll have to adapt to
the winds of China."
2.10 AY Sailing Gloves for all occasions
Keeping with the durable features that made the original AsianYachting
gloves a favourite amongst sailors all over the world, we have now added
a third layer of grippy Kevlar protection, to the two layers of durable
gray Amara. This extra palm reinforcement not only provides positive grip
but also extra protection when handling modern synthetic ropes. We also
have XS size available for the kids, so whether you are a weekend racer
or competing on the world stage we have something for you. We can also
supply in bulk to yacht clubs and event sponsors with their choice of
colour and print companies name with promotional logo on the wide wristed
Velcro tabs. Check out the new range at: http://asianyachting.com/Mall/AYGloves.htm
2.11
WMRT total prize purse US$1.7million
The World Match Racing Tour has announced its schedule of ten events for
2008 including a new Tour stage in Korea with over $320,000 in prize money.
The total prize purse for the 2008 Tour season now stands at $1,720.000,
the largest in the sport. The prize purse has increased by over 20% from
2007. The overall winner of the Tour will be crowned 2008 ISAF Match Racing
World Champion. Teams will count their best five events plus the final
stage, the Monsoon Cup in Malaysia. In 2007, no less than five teams had
a shot at winning the World Championship going into the final event. --
http://www.worldmatchracingtour.com
2.12
Antarctica Cup record underway
The 56 year old Russian adventure sailor Fedor Konyukhov sailing his 86ft
monohull ‘Trading Network Alye Parusa’ set out on a solo record
attempt around the Antarctica Cup race track on Jan 26 – Australia
Day from Albany, Western Australia. Bob Williams, CEO of Antarctica Cup
Management added "Fedor has helped us create our own piece of history.
The moment Fedor crossed the start line, seven years of event planning
and promotion came to realisation. It is a great moment for us, for Fedor,
and for the sport in Australia.” Konyukhov started off Wooding Point
on the King George Sound coastline at 1030hrs. ‘Trading Network
Alye Parusa’ then headed south towards the entry gate of the Antarctica
Cup Racetrack some 600 miles south of Albany. From there Fedor will sail
14,000 nautical miles east-about around Antarctica, which he hopes to
complete by late March. Follow the progress at: http://www.antarcticacup.com
or info about Fedor visit: http://konyukhov.ru/en/
2.13
Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race & Rally 2008
Twenty four expressions of interest have been received for this years
Darwin to Ambon Yacht Race & Rally. The popular race starts at 1100
hours on the 26th July. Entries close in June. The 600 mile race to the
capital of the famous spice islands is destined again to be one of the
World's classic blue water events. Numbers reached 100 before the race
was suspended in 1999. Last year the restart attracted six entries. Further
info at http://www.darwinambonrace.com.au
2.14 Raimon
Land
- Down by the Riverside...
Few
real estate companies in Asia enjoy the success of public-listed Bangkok-based
luxury property developer Raimon
Land. The company
has positioned itself as the developer of choice for buyers and investors
who seek the best in lifestyle developments that posses a
excellent track record of delivering quality residential projects.
From Bangkok to
Pattaya and Phuket the company has projects in all the
most sought-after areas
which proudly achieve high yield holiday rentals through their professional
management team. One aspect
that distinguishes Raimon Land
from its competitors is the company’s clear commitment to lifestyle
events and have made
a strong commitment to the yachting scene in Thailand by sponsoring
the Phang
Nga Bay Regatta, Top
of the Gulf Regatta, Evason
Phuket
Race Week the prestigious Phuket
King's
Cup Regatta and
the Koh
Samui Regatta More at: www.raimonland.com
or goto AY
Real-Estate page...
2.15
Mumbai boat show sells out...
The 2nd Mumbai International Boat Show (MIBS) has completely sold out,
says the show's organiser. The three-day event, which runs from February
28 to March 2 at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai, India, is expected
to attract some 20,000 people — almost double the amount that attended
last year's inaugural show. Around 100-150 exhibitors will also be in
attendance, compared to just 60 the previous year, with a wide range of
boats, engines and marine-related products and equipment spread over 10,000sq
m of space. A one-day conference is also scheduled to take place during
the show, where key speakers from India and abroad will talk to more than
200 delegates about the growth prospects of the leisure marine industry
in general. More info visit http://www.mumbaiboatshow.com
2.16
Place
TOTGR 08 firmly into your racing campaign
Discussions are underway to include the Top
of the Gulf Regatta into the AY
Grand
Prix Championships if sufficient racing class yachts goto
Pattaya (1st - 5th May) and join in the fun they have been having at Ocean
marina all these years. Foreign boats planning their 2008 campaign should
consider combining the TOTGR in early May with the Koh Samui Regatta to
be held early June. Ocean Marina can take boats up to 3 meters and plans
are afoot for re-dredging prior to the regatta. OMYC will offer dry storage
FOC for boats up to 5m draft and weighing less than 18 tonnes prior to
the regatta. Boats with drafts over 3m can be moored outside with ferry
service from the Marina, so no need for anyone to get wet feet! For further
info visit the regatta site http://www.topofthegulfregatta.com
2.17
At 82 GORDON INGATE is the OLDEST YACHTING CHAMPION
Aussie Gordon Ingate, nearing 82 years of age became the oldest skipper
ever to become a yachting champion when he was declared winner of the
2008 Prince Philip Cup for the International Dragon one-design class.
The Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania declared Whim, helmed by Ingate and crewed
by Tasmanians Nick Rogers and Simon Burrows, as the champions after being
forced to abandon the seventh and final race because of gale force north-westerly
winds sweeping the Derwent. Ingate is understood to be the oldest yachtsman
ever to win an Australian national yachting championship in any class,
let alone the Dragon class. Despite 52 years of competing in the Dragon
class, this is the first Prince Philip Cup win for Ingate although he
tied for first with fellow Sydney yachtsman Bill Fesq in 1956, being relegated
to second place on a count back of placing's. The victory, on Hobart's
Derwent River, climaxes a remarkable career in sailing spanning some 70
years, including 52 years sailing in the Dragons, a former Olympic class.
3
. INTERNATIONAL NEWS
3.1
HISTORIC HAT-TRICK FOR SIR ROBIN KNOX-JOHNSTON
Clipper Ventures Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston CBE, cemented his reputation
as one of the most iconic sailors in history when he was awarded the Raymarine
/ YJA Yachtsman of the Year Award 2008. Following his inspiring exploits
in last year's 30,000 mile VELUX 5 OCEANS, a single-handed around the
world race, he made history yet again as he claimed the title of UK Yachtsman
of the Year for an unprecedented third time. Sir Robin first won the accolade
in 1969 in recognition of his achievement in becoming the first man to
sail solo and non-stop around the world in the Sunday Times Golden Globe
Race. In 1994 he was awarded the title for a second time with Peter Blake
for the fastest circumnavigation to win the Jules Verne Trophy. The award,
which is elected by a ballot of members of the Yachting Journalists' Association
following nominations received from members of the boating public, reflects
the huge popularity of the legendary mariner after he finished the grueling
Sir Robin inspired people around the world by taking on and completing
'The Ultimate Solo Challenge' in his sixties, celebrating his 68th birthday
whilst at sea alone.
3.2
Sunsail by far the easiest way to explore Asian waterways
As Sunsail is constantly expanding there fleet and opening up new cruising
grounds the best way to economically explore the South East Asian countries
for the first time is by chartering one of there family friendly sailing
yachts. Click
here to learn more about about these spectacular new cruising
grounds. For the less
experienced they also operate a RYA
Sailing School offering 5 day sailing courses
from their Phuket base or join a MileCatcher
voyage to gain some valuable sea miles. For many years now they have led
the way in opening up new SE Asian destinations and are proud to give
you a chance to discover some of the most intriguing and unspoiled countries
in the Asian region. Check them out by Calling +66 76 239057 Fax:
+66 76 238940 Email: sales@sunsailasia.com
or visit http://www.sunsailasia.com
3.3
WORLD ARC CROSSES THE START LINE
World ARC, the new circumnavigation rally organised and managed by the
UK-based cruising rally experts at World Cruising Club (WCC), set off
from Rodney Bay, St.Lucia on Wed 23 January with 41 yachts including 6
multihulls participating and enthusiastic sailors beginning a 15-month
cruising adventure of a lifetime. Both the Pacific and the Indian Oceans
will be crossed during the optimum period, at the height of the favourable
trade wind season. Cruising 'guru' Jimmy Cornell has helped to plan the
route, which calls at some of the most attractive sailing destinations
in the world. After crossing the Pacific, the Rally avoids the Red Sea
and the Horn of Africa owing to political unrest and a heightened security
situation in the region and instead rounds the Cape of Good Hope to call
at Brazil before returning to the Caribbean. Daily yacht position reports
will be displayed on the event website, giving distance to the finish,
daily distance in nautical miles and an individual route map for each
yacht. Goto http://www.worldcruising.com/worldarc
3.4
CRUISING CLUB AWARDS
British sailor and ocean racer Mike Golding was selected by the Cruising
Club of America to receive its 2007 Rod Stephens Trophy for Outstanding
Seamanship for his heroic rescue of Alex Thomson in the Southern Ocean
during the 2006 Velux 5 Oceans Race. The trophy will be presented at the
club's annual Awards Dinner at the New York Yacht Club in Manhattan on
Jan 15th. This is a perpetual trophy made possible by shipmates and friends
of the late Rod Stephens to recognize "an act of seamanship which
significantly contributes to the safety of a yacht or one or more individuals
at sea." Making the presentation of the award to Maureen Davis of
ECOVER, Inc. on behalf of Mike Golding was CCA Commodore Ross Sherbrooke
of Boston, Mass.
Peter M. Passano of Woolwich, Maine was selected by the Cruising Club of America to receive its prestigious Blue Water Medal for 2007. The medal will be presented by CCA Commodore Ross E. Sherbrooke of Boston, Mass. The Blue Water medal was inaugurated by the Cruising Club of America in 1923 to "reward meritorious seamanship and adventure upon the sea displayed by amateur sailors of all nationalities that might otherwise go unrecognized." Previous Blue Water Medallists have included such luminaries of the world of ocean voyaging in small vessels as Alain Gerbault, H.W. Tilman, Carleton Mitchell, Eric and Susan Hiscock, Sir Francis Chichester, Eric Tabarly, Bernard Moitessier and Minoru Saito.
3.5
- 500 days trapped in the Arctic Ice
A boat that was deliberately trapped in the Arctic ice in an effort to
monitor the region's changing climate has broken free after more than
500 days. Tara sailed into the pack-ice in September 2006 and has been
allowed to drift with the ocean currents and wind. The two-masted manned
vessel is crammed full of sensors to monitor the ocean, atmosphere and
ice. The ice-strengthened boat is now making its way to the island of
Spitsbergen in the Arctic Ocean. "We are heading north in open water,"
wrote crew member Vincent Hilaire in the ship's log, which is published
online. "The battle with the ice... is over."
3.6
Atlantic sailor calls his local pub for help
A British sailor seriously injured during a transatlantic voyage was rescued
after he called his local pub for help. Alan Thompson, 61, was left in
agony after falling on deck and breaking his pelvis while sailing 600
nautical miles north-east of Bermuda. Roger Pocock, 62, the landlord of
The Bull's Head in Fishbourne, Sussex, said: "We received a call
from him saying he was in trouble. I don't know why he didn't put out
an SOS." Mr Pocock phoned Falmouth Coastguard, which liaised with
its American counterparts. US coastguard's later helped Mr Thompson off
Padolu, his 37ft vessel. "He was upset at the fact he was going to
have to leave it," said a Falmouth Coastguard spokesman. "We
put it to him - 'You have to come off, we can't get you treated on board'.
In the end he agreed it was the best course of action."
3.7
FOR THE RECORD - ROUTE DE L'OR
In its attempt to break the 14,000-mile record from New York to San Francisco,
Gitana 13 skippered by Lionel Lemonchois crossed the equator Wed 22nd
after leaving New York 6d 14h and 52m earlier. The boat speed while averaging
above 20 knots, considerably slowed onboard the 110-ft catamaran owned
by Baron Benjamin de Rothschild after arriving at the Doldrums. Gitana
13's average speed had slipped to 10-15 knots for more than 24 hours but
climbed back above 20 knots as they exited the doldrums. "The pace
should increase further and remain there for the next stretch which is
shaping up pretty nicely for us. The descent toward Cape Horn looks like
it will be fast despite a tricky passage that we'll have to negotiate"
said navigator Dominic Vittet. Reports at: http://www.gitana-team.com/en/gitana10/homepage.asp
3.8
GROUPAMA 3 FINALLY DEPARTS
After a month and a half's wait at its base in Lorient, Groupama 3 set
off on Thurs, Jan 24th at 07h 50' 17'' (GMT) from the Jules Verne Trophy
start line. The program for Franck Cammas and his nine crew is to reach
the equator in six days and complete a circumnavigation in less than fifty
days before 15 March at 00h 09m 21s (GMT) in order to take the round the
world record. "Everything comes to those who wait..." This proverb
is very fitting for the crew of Groupama 3 on stand-by since 6th Dec 2007
after two weather `windows' presented themselves but neither were sufficiently
striking for the 31.50m (103ft) maxi-trimaran to set off on the 21,600
mile journey. The first 24 hours enabled the team to get a jump on Orange
II's 2005 record (50d 16h 20m 4s). Any gains acquired over the first phase
of the course is initial proof of success. Although a mid range forecast
was experienced Franck Cammas' crew have gained a 408 mile lead or day's
bonus on changing hemisphere's and have just achieved the best ever time
by a yacht between Ushant and the equator of 6 days 6 hours 24 minutes.
-- Read on: http://www.cammas-groupama.com/en
4.
WORLD SPEED RECORDS
4.1
Francis Joyon pulverizes solo, non-stop RTW record
The World Sailing Speed Record Council has ratified the new Around the
World Singlehanded record set by Francis Joyon (FRA) onboard the 98-foot
trimaran IDEC. Finishing on January 19, 2008 in Brest, France, the new
record is 57d 13h 34m and 6s at an average speed of 15.84 knots. The previous
record was set November 2004 by Ellen MacArthur (GBR) onboard "B&Q"
in a time of 71d 14h 18m 33s. -- http://www.sailspeedrecords.com
Throughout the passage, IDEC sailed "cleanly", without the use
of any fossil fuel (no engine), generating its own energy with a wind
turbine and solar panels.
Francis Joyon becomes the only solo sailor in the world to have established
the non-stop single-handed round the world voyage record aboard a multihull
on two occasions (first set in 2004). Additionally, Joyon's passage achieved
the second best time ever for sailing around the world, including crewed
voyages! Joyon surpassed the crewed record set by Steve Fossett's giant
Cheyenne (58 days, 9 hours and 32 minutes in April 2004), with only the
crew of Bruno Peyron's maxi-catamaran Orange II still holding the outright
record in just over 50 days. -- http://www.trimaran-idec.com
A visibly moved Ellen MacArthur commenting on Francis Joyon breaking her
record said, "I really had to give everything I had to beat his 2004
record; now he betters mine by 14 days. Amazing seamanship, ideal weather,
and a faster boat are the key factors, but above all I cannot express
how much respect I have for the man."
Records set by the IDEC trimaran:
Start from Brest: Friday 23rd November at 10h05’52”GMT
Brest / Equator : 06 days, 16 hours and 58 minutes
Brest / Cape of Good Hope: 15 days, 7 hours and 16 minutes
Brest / Cape Leeuwin : 22 days, 15 hours and 28 minutes
Brest / Cape Horn : 35 days, 12 hours and 36 minutes
Brest / Equator : 48 days, 2 hours and 18 minutes
Indian Ocean record: 09 days, 12 hours and 03 minutes
Pacific Ocean record: 10 days, 14 hours and 30 minutes
Equator-Equator record: 41 days, 08 hours and 19 minutes
5. "Unluckiest sailor of the month"
5.1
Sodeb'O sets 24hr record then forced to abandon RTW attempt
Thomas Coville discovered shortly before 00:02 hrs, that the starboard
float of Sodeb'O had lost its crash-box, perhaps following a collision
with a growler. Coville had already seen two icebergs of several hundreds
metres in size and had observed growlers around the boat. Sodeb'O was
forced to abandon and divert to Cape Town, South Africa, a distance of
1,300 miles to the northwest.
Just
before discovering the damage to Sodeb'O, Coville had broken Francis Joyon’s
24 hour solo record by 3 miles - covering 619,3 miles at an average speed
of 25,8 knots. Of note is the fact that Thomas beat the record during
his 20th day at sea, as did Francis Joyon, and in the same zone of the
Indian Ocean between the Cape of Good Hope and the Kerguelen Islands;
added to that he was in a fairly similar weather pattern, ahead of a depression.
'I had just received the news that I had established a new 24 hour record
when I felt the boat slow. I immediately went up on deck and I saw a plume
of water, which was 3 metres above the starboard float. I eased the headsails.
In a matter of seconds, you understand what’s happening without
knowing how. Thomas realised in a fraction of a second that his solo record
attempt around the world was over. It should be noted that his average
speed had increased over the past few hours and that, without this damage,
he would have probably established a 24 hour record at an even greater
level.
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