Trimaran project is intended to showcase multihull news with a focus on racing, build projects, launchings, interesting ideas past and present and also updates on my own trimaran projects. Lots of content and updates to come so keep checking back.
Ocean-faring maxi trimaran known as Maxi Banque Populaire V has been acquired by Dona Bertarelli and is now gearing up to a new campaign, set to break records and create exceptional events. The trimaran will begin its new career within Dona Bertarelli’s and Yann Guichard‘s racing stable, Spindrift racing, at the Rolex Fastnet Race 2013, on August 11 this year.
Dona Bertarelli has shown her mettle on Lake Léman with her Ladycat catamaran by finishing last year’s season on the podium of the Vulcain Trophy 2012. She is also the only woman skipper to have won the Bol d’Or Mirabaud in 74 editions of the famous race. Dona is now setting herself the goal of breaking records on the biggest racing trimaran in the world.
The Multi 50 team Maitre Jacques have released their program for the 2013 season. They are going to relaunch their revamped Multi 50 trimaran in March. The article can be found over here:
Race program 2013 Master Jacques trimaran January-March : site technical
Late March : launch
3-6 May : Grand Prix Guyader - Douarnenez - crew - coastal path and speed runs May 9-10 : Armen Race - The Trinity / sea - crew - coastal route 1st-June 30th : Route des Princes - Marseilles / Valencia / Dublin / Plymouth / Morlaix - crew July 12-14 : Cowes - Dinard crew 30 July-1 September Trophy Prince de Bretagne - Saint Quay Portrieux - crew - coastal voyages and banana September 6-8 : Trophy Port of Fecamp - Fécamp - crew - coastal voyages and banana 3-24 November .: Transat Jacques Vabre - Le Havre / Itajai (Brazil) - double
The Team Master Jacques Preparer : Julien Deniel Crew Awards : Féquet Loïc Loïc Escoffier, Champanhac Benoît, Pierre Hingant, Arnaud Le Gall Duo Transat Jacques Vabre : Loïc Loïc Escoffier and Féquet (2 nd edition of 2011)
There was plenty of action off Maraetai Beach over Auckland Anniversary
Weekend when the Maraetai Sailing Club hosted the 2013 New Zealand Paper Tiger
National Championships from January 24 to 28.
The event saw over 47
boats from all over the country competing in spectacular fashion in the Tamaki
Straits with the racing producing some very tight results.
The event was
the overall National Title, as well as the B and C Grade titles contested
meaning that every competitor throughout the fleet was fighting for every
position. With a wide range of competitors participating other titles
decided during the week long competition included the New Zealand Women's Title,
The Junior (Under 21 Years) Title, The Veteran's (50-59 years) Title, The Grand
Masters (60-64 years) Title, and the Great Grand Masters (65+ years) Title.
The crew at Farrier Marine are making progress on the production version of the F-22 trimaran and unit #1 is getting closer to launching. They have now joined up the hulls and beams and all the folding sytem is in place.
The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup Selection Series will
feature 11 national teams battling in two qualifying sessions in San Francisco
from 9-24 February.
A British team, the GBR Youth Challenge, has
been added to the roster to take the place of the previously invited French
Youth Team, who now qualify directly for September’s event after gaining support
from the French America’s Cup World Series entry, Energy Team.
'The
America’s Cup is the greatest thing you can do in sailing,' said Adam Lees, of
the British team. 'The Red Bull Youth America’s Cup is about getting more people
involved in the competition and making it more accessible to young sailors so
the next generation is involved early on.'
The Red Bull Youth America’s
Cup, scheduled September 1-4, 2013, begins with the Selection Series in San
Francisco in February. With the goal of ensuring the best of the best are on the
starting line of the main event, the Selection Series will narrow the field
through two rigorous training workshop and regatta sessions from February 9-15
and February 18-24, 2013.
America's Cup defender, Oracle Team USA is scheduled to relaunch its first
AC72 catamaran, next week.
Following months of repair work and
delivery and assembly of the second wing, the boat is nearing completion and is
on track to be sailing in the San Francisco Bay, again. Following the launch it
is expected the AC72 will undergo the usual towing trial, before the wingsail is
stepped and USA-17 sails once again.
'After the capsize, the team set
the first week of February as the target date to get back on the water,' said
General Manager Grant Simmer. 'A lot had to come together for that to happen,
and it’s a great achievement to be right on schedule. Everyone really worked
hard and put in long hours to meet that goal.'
Sheeting rain and 30 knot gale force nor ‘east winds
caused the final day of racing in the 2013 F18 Australian Championships at Lake
Macquarie to be abandoned today.
Jason Waterhouse and Brett Goodhall
(NSW) were declared the winners followed by Brett Burvill/Ryan Duffield (WA) and
Adam Beattie/Jamie Leitner (VIC) in third place.
Rod Waterhouse and
Chris Way of Easy Tiger Racing held off seven other teams to take out the
Masters Divisions and finished in 12th position overall.
'We’re happy
with our results at this shortened regatta. It’s disappointing we couldn’t have
had more racing but the east coast low and forecast winds would have made it
treacherous. I’m pleased to see Jason and Brett are on form for this season and
the upcoming AC45 youth racing in San Francisco next week,' Skipper Rod
Waterhouse said.
The Australian F18 National Championships 2013 had the final day of racing scrapped off the schedule due to heavy flooding and a looming gale on Monday, allowing Jason Waterhouse and his crewman Brett Goodall to bag their second consecutive national title after five races at Mannering Park Amateur Sailing Club, Lake Macquarie.
As flood waters rose around the State, it left the appropriately named Jason Waterhouse and his crewman Brett Goodall with their second consecutive national title, following an emphatic performance in the five races staged over the weekend.
Carrying a third placing as their drop they finished on just six points, comfortably ahead of the WA combination of Brett Burvill and Ryan Duffield (14 pts) and Adam Beattie/Jamie Leitner (15 pts).
Some photos have come to light of the New Zealand based Tim Clissold designed TC627 trimaran out on it's first sail have come to light. Looks like a very neat little boat and looks to be constructed to a high standard by Andaman Boatyard. Thanks to 'Vaka' on the Sailing Anarchy forums for the link.
This exciting social race is now into it's 5th edition, and is open to multihulls with a LOA 5m and greater. Plenty of fun to be had, meet new friends and catch up with old ones.
This years race begins with a Friday night race starting off the yacht club on March 1, although if you miss this leg not to worry this year this result can be dropped, and dinner can be ordered from the yacht club.
After a bright and breezy start to the regatta, where
racing was eventually suspended due to 25-knot winds, the scene at Mannering
Park Amateur Sailing Club was one of complete contrast – steady rain and glassy
waters beneath a breathless sky.
A fickle sou’easter eventually filled
in at around 1.30pm, and competitors dialled down their rig tuning for light
airs. Two races were eventually sailed, with positions swinging wildly
throughout as the more tactical sailors got a chance to shine.
Holding a
four-point advantage, Jason Waterhouse and Brett Goodall immediately stamped
their authority on the regatta, winning Race 4 in style.
Artemis Racing, the Swedish Challenger for the 34th America's Cup, trained with its second wing sail for the first time earlier this week. Principal Designer Juan Kouyoumojian calls the new wing an evolution from wing one. 'The general concept is very much the same. I would define it as a refinement of the first wing,' he said.
Festival of Sails 2013. With a borrowed boat and a
demon of an alias, International A-Class young-gun David Parker claimed his
first ever major regatta win.
Parker started the final day’s racing
with a win in the mildest conditions of the regatta so far, a meek 10 knots from
the southeast.
It was enough to make the boat builder nervous; knowing
full well that 20-knots wind speed is his racing sweet spot.
'I was
really worried at the start, you know, there are nine or 10 blokes out there who
could win this,’’ he said.
But, he found new confidence racing his
father’s catamaran, a relatively new design DNA A-Class.
In a day of thrills and spills at the 2013
Australian Formula 18 National Championships, young guns Jason Waterhouse and
Brett Goodall displayed remarkable maturity and consistency to take the lead
after three races.
The pair posted a first and two seconds to gain a
four-point advantage over the equally consistent Western Australian crew of
Brett Burvill/Ryan Duffield (three thirds) and Queenslanders Mick Guinea/Viv
Haydon.
Waterhouse and Goodall, aged 21 and 28 respectively, were
satisfied with their effort as they gave away considerable kilos and experience
to some of their opponents in a breeze that left competitors in an Australia
daze.
‘They were tough conditions out there,’ Waterhouse said. ‘In the
last race in particular we saw one of our main competitors go over in a classic
way and we realised we just had to keep the pointy end up.’
The upcoming Armen Race (9th to 12th May) has seen a large number of multihull entries and will be great to watch. More information and race documents for the Race can be found on the website
Lionel Lemonchois and his 80' Maxi Prince de Bretagne announced that they would take the start of the 3rd edition of the ArMen Race.
A squadron of F18s will do battle on Lake Macquarie,
near Newcastle, over the Australia Day long weekend, as the top guns of
catamaran sailing contest the 2013 Australian Formula 18 National
Championships.
With revolutionary wave-piercing hulls, twin
trapezes, a high aspect square-top mainsail, asymmetric spinnaker, plus
carbon-fibre centreboards and rudders, the flying F18s can reach speeds of over
25 knots (46 km/h), making them one of the world’s fastest racing classes.
There’s close tacking and gybing duels aplenty as the windward/leeward
courses are relatively tight and each race takes approximately 45 minutes for
the first boat to finish.
Emirates Team New Zealand's America's Cup skipper, Dean Barker, talks about
the task ahead, as the realisation hits home that 2013 is the year of the
America's Cup. There is no next year. And for the longest running America's Cup
team, the options are running out, with some hard decisions yet to be made.
'You do sense the change in atmosphere around the base', he says. 'It is
no longer next year. In ten month's time it's all over (sic).'
'We have
to get Boat 2 up an running very quickly, and then we have just two months here,
then we pack the boat up, and when we get to San Fran, it's game on.'
The crew from Motive Trimarans are attending the boat show in Dusseldorf (through to 27th of January). If your interested in the full carbon fibre construction Motive 25r trimaran or Motive 15r trimaran this is your chance to chat to them directly.
Posted by Vincent(The NWMA commodore)to the f-boat list.
Bring your surplus sailing gear and tools to the Northwest Multihull Association Auction, Tuesday February 5! We are making a big push this year to get people to bring tools as well as sailing gear. You can trade for someone else's stuff, or sell at the auction and keep the proceeds or donate some or all of the proceeds to the club. I will be bringing a first generation Fein triangle sander, among other things!
Come early to get your stuff on a table and price. We will be there from 5:30 one, festivities start at 7pm.
Location: Puget Sound Yacht club, 2321 North Northlake Way, Seattle, WA
Non Members welcome, we provide Beer and snacks.
The Swiss-Italian team Jrata3 are challenging a record held for sailing a beachcat accross the Atlantic Dakar, Senegal to the Island of Guadalupe. The existing record stands at 11days 11h 25m 42s set in 2007 by the French Benoît Lequin and Pierre Yves Moreau on “OCTO FINANCES”. The new attempt is being carried out using the same catamaran as used in the previous record.
Also of interest is that a singlehanded beachcat record was set over the same course in 2008 by Vittorio Malingri of 13days, 17 hours and 48 minutes. The record was set on 6.09metre beachcat.
In a tightly worded statement on their website, Luna Rossa Challenge have
announced the departure of one of their helmsmen, Iker Martinez from the
team.
The statement reads in full:
'We decided together
to close our working relationship. The entire Team has enormous respect for
Iker, he is a great sailor, which is why he was selected to enter the Luna Rossa
Team ' Max Sirena declared.
We thank Iker very much for making a great
contribution to the Team with his talent and his technical and tactical skills
in this sport. We wish him all the best for his future challenges.
Lionel Lemanchois has taken his new 80' trimaran out for a second sail. Once again very light conditions but the boat looks to slip along effortlessly all the same.
The Nine race
series was held at the Meningie Sailing Club on the Waters of Lake Albert, South
Australia. Six races over the first three days saw positions change
dramatically, shifty conditions and varying winds from four to fifteen knots
tested even the best of skippers. At this point Alex Craig from Victoria was
holding first position followed by Bruce Rose, Bryan Anderson, six times winner,
his father Peter Anderson three times winner and Garry Williams four times
winner. Everything pointed to a very exciting contest, but in the end it was
Bruce Rose who won through for his fourth Championship with 18 points from Alex
Craig on 21 and Bryan Anderson on 24.
Bruce Rose of Tasmania, sailing 'The Apprentice'
took out the 43rd Paper Tiger National Championship at the Meningie Sailing Club
on the waters of Lake Albert SA over the week of 29th December to 3rd
January.
Six races over the first three days saw positions change
dramatically, shifty conditions and varying winds from four to fifteen knots
tested even the best of skippers. At this point Alex Craig from Victoria was
holding first position followed by Bruce Rose, Bryan Anderson, six times winner,
his father Peter Anderson three times winner and Garry Williams four times
winner.
Everything pointed to a very exciting contest, but in the end it
was Bruce Rose who won through for his fourth Championship with 18 points from
Alex Craig on 21 and Bryan Anderson 24.
Sailors in the 40-boat fleet
came from New South Wales, Victoria Tasmania and South Australia.
Organisers were pleased to have some closing racing between experienced
female competitors, with the best placing going to Sarah Ashley-Jones from
McCrae in Victoria in 20th place. Commendation should also go to Janica
Markovitch for some great sailing with an 11th in one race. read more here
Organisers of the Extreme Sailing Series announced
details of the eight boats participating at the 2013 Series at the Dusseldorf
Boat Show on Sunday.
The announcement was made from the stand of
Marinepool, Official Clothing Partner to the Series, as they also confirmed a
new three-year extension to their contract with the pioneering Stadium Sailing
Series. In the world of high performance sailing, one global circuit brings the
action right to the crowds, and in 2013 the Extreme Sailing Series’
award-winning stadium racing format will see eight world-class teams, including
a ‘home nation’ invitational team at each venue, compete in the seventh edition
of the Series.
The 2013 Series is to be contested once again by sailors
from all over the globe, partnered by a host of strong commercial brands. The
Wave, Muscat, Oman will host the Series opener for the third consecutive year
where new faces and new teams will meet the more seasoned sailors for the first
time. Five of the teams who will be on the start line in Muscat on 5th March are
returning teams: Red Bull Sailing Team, Alinghi, The Wave Muscat, SAP Extreme
Sailing Team and GAC Pindar.
http://www.sail-world.com/Australia/Extreme-Sailing-Series---8-strong-fleet-confirmed-for-Series-opener/105757 Extreme Sailing Series organisers, OC Sport,
announced details of the 8-strong fleet for the 2013 Series at the Dusseldorf
Boat Show today. The announcement was made from the stand of Marinepool,
Official Clothing Partner to the Series, as they also confirmed a new three-year
extension to their contract with the pioneering Stadium Sailing Series.
In the world of high performance sailing, one global circuit brings the
action right to the crowds, and in 2013 the Extreme Sailing Series’
award-winning stadium racing format will see eight world-class teams, including
a ‘home nation’ invitational team at each venue, compete in the seventh edition
of the Series.
The 2013 Series is to be contested once again by sailors
from all over the globe, partnered by a host of strong commercial brands. The
Wave, Muscat, Oman will host the Series opener for the third consecutive year
where new faces and new teams will meet the more seasoned sailors for the first
time. Five of the teams who will be on the start line in Muscat on 5th March are
returning teams: Red Bull Sailing Team Alinghi, The Wave Muscat, SAP Extreme
Sailing Team and GAC Pindar.
The NZMYC has posted their January newsletter on their website noticeboard, the entries are not indexed seperately so you will have to scroll down to read it.
Price list for the new F-22 production trimaran available at several levels of completion has been published. Great news for those on a tight budget looking for an entry level trimaran at a moderate price.
Seen from across Walvis Bay, the windswept patch of Atlantic Ocean known as Speed Spot is barely more than a sparkle of whitecaps against a long, low sandbar. As we get closer to what is one of the world’s most perfect speed-sailing areas, I scan the shore. It’s featureless save for two small shelters. We motor our zodiac toward the remote beach until we have to kill the outboard and tilt it up to spare the prop. The five of us jump overboard into the waist-deep water, following our guide, Paul Larsen, who is wading toward the shore. The wind howls in our faces, blowing so much sand that it runs down the beach in rivulets, like rain across a windshield. We climb up on the beach, jellyfish at our feet as thick as paving stones. “This is it. This is the Bonneville Salt Flats of speed sailing!” Larsen shouts, gesturing to the water just off the sandbar. The flying sand sticks to our teeth, turning the insides of our mouths to 600-grit with every word. “We’ll have to shovel out the timing hut,” Larsen says, peering into the primitive shelter he built years ago and pointing out animal tracks inside. “Jackal,” he concludes.
This edition of AC Discovered examines the America's Cup World Series and how the season played out for the teams involved. The ACWS was sailed in the AC45 one design catamaran and was intended to provide the teams with experience in sailing wing equipped catamarans.
Interesting article on the Daily Sail, Alain Thebault and the L'Hydroptere Team are looking to build a new craft to challenge the new record set by Paul Larsen on Sailrocket. Also still looking for funding for their new maxi Hydroptere. Thanks to Doug Lord for the link:
Alain Thebault contemplating a new five year program aiming at the 80 knot/1000 mile day barriers
After an eventful year in the USA, Alain Thébault's L'Hydroptere team of is taking advantage of the winter to fine-tune their technological and sports program as they continue their search to find a new sponsor, following the premature departure of DCNS last autumn.
Before the Christmas holidays, L'Hydroptere was laid up in the bay of San Francisco as her team works on a five year development program for their radical boat.
'Two years ago, we were pretty well gone for all money. We were basically
broke and trying to stay alive', says Emirates Team NZ's Managing Director Grant
Dalton, reflecting on the team's then dire situation, back in early 2011.
Behind him the shore crew and some of the sailing team are fitting
out the team's second AC72, which is due to be launched in early February.
'We managed to get some good people on board, but they all knew that if
we didn't have the money by April 2011, then we were gone. But it's moved a huge
distance since then', he adds.
The NWMA is a non profit club for sailors, builders, racers, and dreamers of multihull sailing craft. We hold monthly meetings with speakers covering a broad spectrum of topics related to multihulls. Membership includes discounts at local suppliers, a subscription to the club newsletter, cruising rendezvous, and access to a group of interesting and experienced multihull builders and sailors. Come on aboard!
The club meets at Puget Sound Yacht Club, 2321 N. Northlake Way, Seattle, on the first Tuesday of every month (except July and August, to make more time on the water), There is a pot-luck supper starting at 6:30 PM with a program generally starting at 7:30.
Meetings are open to all, regardless of membership or boat ownership status.
A video from team HYDROS showing the interesting foiling/planing vestigal hull
catamaran Hydroptere.ch in action in their Lake Geneva records programme.
News from Banque
Populaire on it's sailing programme the document's in French but google translate does a reasonable job. They have acquired the former Groupama 3 trimaran which is now setup for
singlehanding and are putting Armel le Cleach at the helm for a swing at the
Route du Rhum.
A
new challenge: the Route du Rhum on the Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire Solo
VII
Banque Populaire re-engages the sides of Armel Le Cléac'h for 2
years. The current skipper Mono 60 'Banque Populaire, after 67 days of racing
breathlessly to the global forefront, is now the second ranking of the most
legendary racing solo around the world. It is expected Sables d'Olonne around
January 28. After a period of rest, it will report a new challenge and take the
helm of the Maxi Trimaran Banque Populaire Solo VII (ex-Groupama 3). Acquired a
few days ago by Banque Populaire, the ship crew and outstanding track record
solo, will be the new mount Armel Le Cléac'h for the next 2 years. Maxi Trimaran
Banque Populaire Solo VII, to date, the largest ocean in the world trimaran
operable by one man and can participate in the Route du Rhum. He enters the
fleet with Banque Populaire aim to bring the colors of the Sailing Bank in the
most famous liners but also an attempt to beat some records alone. meantime,
Armel Le Cléac ' h and Banque Populaire will, June 2, at the beginning of the
Solitaire du Figaro. Double race winner, Armel back on the Figaro circuit
accomplished competitor in an attempt to win a third title. Both boats will be
prepared within the Team Banque Populaire. Installed at the heart of the Lorient
Base Kéroman, a few steps from the Cité de la Voile Eric Tabarly, the Team
Banque Populaire, led by Ronan Lucas, is a team sport and technology recognized
for its excellence.
The production blog at f-boat.com has been updated with recent progress. The crew at Farrier Marine have now trimmed the new deck and test fitted it to the main hull.
Mike Drummond has been involved in the design side of four winning America's
Cup campaigns, starting with then Team New Zealand in 1987-2003, before joining
Alinghi in 2007 and latterly was the Design Director for Oracle Racing in the
2010 America's Cup, and the development of the wingsailed 120ft trimaran USA-17.
In this second part of the interview
(click here to read Part 1) the issues of foiling and the
trade-offs are discussed, along with the factors that led to the pitchpoling of
Oracle's USA-17, and what is expected to be seen in the second generation of
AC72 catamarans.
Mike Drummond has been involved in the design side of four winning America's
Cup campaigns, starting with then Team New Zealand in 1987-2003, before joining
Alinghi in 2007 and latterly was the Design Director for Oracle Racing in the
2010 America's Cup, and heavily involved in the development of the wingsailed
120ft trimaran USA-17.
That America's Cup regatta was his second
Deed of Gift Match (sailed between just a single Defender and Challenger under
the terms set out in the 19th century Deed of Gift which governs the America's
Cup), Drummond was also involved in the design of the Big Boat for Sir Michael
Fay, in the 1988 America's Cup.
read more here
The new maxi trimaran 'Prince de Bretagne' has been out on it's first sail. The boat to be sailed by Lionel Lemanchois is intended to compete in the next Route du Rhum but will also particapate in other events such as the upcoming Route du Princes.
Hydros C Class Sailing Team is packing, in one week from now, they will start training in La Grande Motte, at the CEM (Mediterranean Training Center) for the winter period.
While the C Class are being built at Decision SA shipyard, the first Nacra F20 Carbon - provided by H2O Sensations, Swiss Nacra Dealer - has just received the adaptations required to allow testing of the foils developed for the C Class by Hydros design team and built by Ravussin Concept.
The result is impressive. In one week, the Mediterranean Sea will be the scene of the first trainings of the Swiss Team for the next Little Cup.
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Today sees the final curtain come down on the 11th Royal Langkawi International Regatta 2013. But not yet! We still have some racing to do and with blue skies, a fresh breeze and 40 yachts eager for one more shot at that heart-pounding sound of the finish horn, we're going to do just that!
For his grand finale, the PRO has once again brought his team into the calm and expansive waters of Bass Harbor. There amongst the fish farms, tourist boats and longtails, the racing yachtsmen will get a last romp to the windward mark and the final horn, putting a cap on a marvelous week of intense and exciting International Yacht Racing!
Excellent video by CNN that sums up the Extreme Sailing Series in Rio de Janeiro in 2012 interesting interviews with the skippers. Also includes some racing footage from the event.
It seems that the Royal Ocean Racing Club have noted that particapation in the upcoming Armen Race is acceptable as qualification for the Fastnet Race if my schoolboy French language reading skills are up to scratch. The original document is at the following link.
So far there are 100 boats entered with 1 Ultime G class multihull entered, 4 MOD 70 trimarans, 7 Multi 50's and 5 Multi 30's. Looking forward to following the racing!
Artemis Racing team making the most of remaining training days allowed under the protocol
Artemis Racing tactician Iain Percy and team CEO Paul Cayard look ahead at ‘the year of America’s Cup’, reflecting on the design and technology involved in the AC72s.
“It’s a design and technology contest,” Cayard said. “With the wing and the platform being so light and the construction technology and methods… It’s incredible the technical aspects of the boats…”
ETNZ and Luna Rossa train with each other on AC45's
Emirates Team New Zealand and Luna Rossa Challenge have been training together this week on AC45s in Auckland.
For the Kiwis, it was a welcome opportunity to get back on the water. The team ran out the clock on its 30 days of sailing on its first AC72 last month on December 12. Under the Rules, the team can’t start sailing with boat two until February 1.
The Luna Rossa sailing and shore crew have all returned to the team’s Auckland base to resume the training and development program.
The plan for January is to make the most of the 13 remaining days allowed by the Protocol to sail the AC72 prior to the January 31st deadline.
This coming week the team will be concentrating on match racing practice sessions with its two AC45 catamarans Luna Rossa Swordfish and Luna Rossa Piranha. Both boats were shipped back to Auckland from San Francisco following the end of the last America’s Cup World Series regattas in October 2012.
The Great Race is an interesting event where off the beach multihulls, dinghy's and foilers take an inshore course through the Broadwater between the Gold Coast (Southport Yacht Club) and finish at the Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly. The current race records were set in 2012 with 2:33:32hrs elapsed time for
Multihulls, 3:25:09hrs elapsed time for Monohulls and 2:39:58hrs elapsed time
for Foiling boats so the multihulls are just holding on to the record for now. Big news this year is the introduction of a half course to cater for the boats that dont meet the criteria for the full race.
On Saturday 9th February 2013 Southport Yacht Club
will be hosting the Great Race - for the ninth time since its inauguration in
2005. Year after year, the Great Race attracts competitors from all over
Australia, looking to test their stamina and willpower in this 70km endurance
race from the Gold Coast to Brisbane.
The Great Race is possibly the
longest off-the-beach sailing event of its kind to be staged in Australia.
Starting just outside the hosting Southport Yacht Club’s Hollywell Sailing
Squadron on the Gold Coast, competitors make their way up towards Brisbane. The
narrow and twisted waterways between the mainland and the islands will test the
competitors’ tacking and boat handling skills before the open vastness of
Moreton Bay will provide some challenging wind and waves. Finally, the race will
finish just off Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron in Manly. read more here
This race is somewhat of a legend to singlehanded sailors and is on many solo sailors bucket list. The race has a multihull division and requires the highest standards of multihull safety which is quite a bit of work to achieve but is a great target to shoot for particularly for a racing multihull. The competitors depart Plymouth in the UK and head West towards Newport in the US. The race starts on Monday 27th May 2013.
You can read more about the race at the RWYC website which has a Notice of Race to peruse if you are thinking of taking up the challenge.
"There is no concern for severe weather over Langkawi for the next two days" was the statement of one weather forecaster. Tropical Storm 'SONOMU' was battering the east coast of Malaysia and the storm was 'stealing' our wind! The Royal Langkawi International Regatta race officials were sort of hoping and praying that maybe just a tiny wee bit of that ‘severe’ weather might find its way into Bass Harbor. Fortunately, their plan worked, and the breeze filled in nicely in the morning and the PRO had us sailing by 0930.
The crew from Marstrom are once again offering test sails of the very special M32 carbon fibre racing catamaran. You can read more about it here, noticed on the Sailing Anarchy news page:
Top America's Cup designer, Duncan MacLane rates Oracle Team USA's chances at better than 60% of mounting a successful Defence of the America's Cup in September 2013, despite the capsize in October which ripped four months out of their development program.
The new wing sail for Oracle Team USA arrived to San Francisco on Tuesday afternoon, completing a journey from New Zealand and around the South Bay before pulling into the team base at Pier 80.
The wing is the second built by the team and will be fitted into the Defender’s first AC72 to begin sailing again in the coming weeks.
'The guys have done a fantastic job to get the wing built, and it will go together very quickly. You’ll see it out on the water in early February,' said Oracle Team USA skipper Jimmy Spithill. 'We’re really excited to get out there again, and from a sailing point of view, sort of reward those who put all of the work in to get the boat ready again.'
The last day of competition at the Australian Nacra Championship 2013 was fantastic with the sun shining and 20 knots of breeze. Sailors completed three races to jack up the total to twelve with the standings ended up tight in nearly all divisions.
Heading into the final day of racing in the F18 Infusion class, five boats had a chance of winning. Despite the setback of a disqualification the day before, Adam Beattie proved too fast and consistent scoring a first a second and a third on the last day to win the title. The two drops allowed him to drop a DNF and a DSQ. Second overall was Mick Guinea with Dale Mitchell in third.
Peter over at tacking outrigger has put up an interesting site detailing his own projects and others from around the world. Tacking outriggers differ from proas in the sense that they have a fixed rudder and they tack rather than shunt.
Jason on his trimaran 'Spirit' (a modified Formula 40 trimaran) has sailed the boat from Fiji to Brisbane and made up a video of the trip. It looks like champagne sailing with excellent weather conditions for the delivery. We also get to have a look around Spirit's tight interior and how it has been fitted out to deal with the necessities of cruising while still keeping everything light.
You can read more about Jason's adventures with 'Spirit' on the trimaran sailing blog here
In a media conference just concluded the America's Cup Events Authority have
announced that the two America's Cup World Series events scheduled for USA have
been cancelled.
The events were set down from May 28-30, and May 31
- June 2, 2013. Although no venue was nominated on www.americascup.com, the
official website, it was advised that they were to have been held in New York.
The only America's Cup World Series that will be staged will be sailed
in Naples, Italy, in three months time starting April 16.
America's Cup
Event Authority CEO, Stephen Barclay, confirmed this morning that Naples had
paid the first of their three event fees required to stage the regatta and that
it would proceed as scheduled.
'Oracle Team USA digs the bows in and capsizes at the first mark in the first fleet race of day four of the America’s Cup World Series, San Francisco.' photo courtesy Sail-World
After repairs have been carried out to the failed rudder on Roman Paszke's catamaran Gemini 3 he has restarted on his westabout circumnavigation attempt.
28 ° 7'9 .48 "N, 15 ° 24'46 .08" W source: news
from the start: 0 H | distance traveled: 0 nm
December 27, 2012 at 4:06:27 p.m. year (UTC) Roman Paszke catamaran Gemini 3 launched cruise around the world, alone non - stop, by the wind.
The last day of competition at the Australian Nacra
Championship 2013 was fantastic with the sun shining and 20 knots of breeze.
Sailors completed three races to jack up the total to twelve with the standings
ended up tight in nearly all divisions.
Heading into the final day
of racing in the F18 Infusion class, five boats had a chance of winning. Despite
the setback of a disqualification the day before, Adam Beattie proved too fast
and consistent scoring a first a second and a third on the last day to win the
title. The two drops allowed him to drop a DNF and a DSQ. Second overall was
Mick Guinea with Dale Mitchell in third.
Hobie Cat Australasia & Hogs Breath Cafe
Australian Hobie Cat National Championships 2012 -has wrapped up at Port
Melbourne Yacht Club.
61 races over five Days was conducted by PRO
Garry Hosie and the PMYC race management team - a marathon effort
On the
final afternoon the Hobie 16 series headed out in dropping breeze as the day
heated up and the sea breeze and northerly fought each other. Jets skis and
powerboats flying around and through the fleet just prior to the start and after
did make for some challenging chop!
