Weekly Sailing News Summary

Summary for w/b - 14 Feb, 2006 12pm

VOLVO OCEAN RACE & MELBOURNE STOPOVER
Thousands of Melburnians lined the dockside at Waterfront City, Docklands, on Sunday to wave goodbye to the fleet as they headed off on Leg Three to a pit stop in Wellington, and then on to Rio de Janeiro. The six boats had team music blaring as they ducked under the Bolte Bridge for the final time.

Under the Volvo Ocean Race rules for a pit stop, any boat taking on food, diesel, spare parts or needing outside assistance in Wellington will have to delay its departure for Rio by two hours.

Russ Bowler from Farr Yacht Designs comments on the failed hydraulic keel canting rams on movistar, Pirates of the Caribbean and Ericsson. These boats are all Farr Yacht Designs but the boat designers don't have contractual relationships with the ram suppliers, designers or manufacturers.

Ericsson's request for redress after being recalled for an early start in the In-Port race in Melbourne was invalid. Ericsson had taken thirty hours instead of two minutes, as stipulated by the race rules, to notify the race committee it felt aggrieved.

Ericsson Racing Team shore crew member Tim Dean was working up the mast when lightening struck. More fear than damage luckily.

Grant Wharington announces that he will continue in the Volvo Ocean Race 2005 - 2006, with the support of his new Title Sponsor Brunel. With the Volvo Open 70 on a truck heading for the shed for a major re-fit, Wharington officially withdrew from the race, announcing he will pay another entry fee and re-enter for the legs from Baltimore to the finish in Gothenburg.

Melbourne Storm rugby league front-rower Brett White is officially the fastest grinder in Melbourne. White won the Melbourne Stopover's grinding competition against Volvo Ocean Race engineer Johannes Carlsson and Army physical training instructor Corporal Shane Bramley.

The hands of the seven skippers of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet are to be immortalised in bronze at Melbourne's Waterfront City.

KEEL BOATS & MULTIHULLS
Hardy Cup 2006 - Michael Dunstan won the match racing event for sailors under 25 for the third time in four years, a record unsurpassed in Australian sailing. Dunstan and his crew of Ben Lamb and Andrew Hutchinson fought back in the fifth and final flight to beat fellow RSYS sailor Mark Dorling and his crew of Hugh Tait and Nathan Outerridge, 3-2 on a hot and windy Sydney Harbour.

Nearly 100 classic wooden yachts gathered off Port Melbourne for the first of a five race series.  Many of these timber yachts are over 100 years old; elegant racing cutters like Sayonara and Acrospire III who have competed for glory on this very bay in the early 1900's. 

Jimmy Blacksmith and The Ancient Mariners! On Saturday February 11, after being out of the water for two months for an extensive 'skin graft' to it's hull, the Adams 12 yacht 'Jimmy Blacksmith' will be relaunched at the Royal Geelong Yacht Club. That, in itself is quite an achievement, but when you line up the crew there's an even bigger and 'older' story...

Moquini has been found without a keel. After communications were lost and a very brief signal from her EPIRB was received, the yacht was declared missing in September during the Mauritius to Durban Yacht Race.

Farr Yacht Sales, LLC announces the construction of a new IRC racer/cruiser, the Farr Performance 42, aimed at the US and European racer/cruiser markets.

The final three regattas for the Farr 40 2005-2006 season in Australia are to take place during February and March, starting with the Farr 40 Sprint Series conducted by the Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron on February 18 and 19.

Feb 26 - RANSA Regatta, Sydney Harbour - Following last year's successful event it has been decided to keep the same format of a handicap start with the first boats going off at 11.00am. The Regatta includes an inter-club competition for the Admiral's Trophy. All proceeds go to the Sir David Martin Foundation.

Feb 26 - Jennifer F. Goldsmith Trophy for Lady Skippers will be conducted by the Royal Melbourne Yacht Squadron. The prizes are from Tiffany and Co jewellery for handicap and line honour divisions on keel boats. Proceeds go to melanoma research.

Editor's note: Many sailors (not just Aussies) believed that the America's Cup Hall of Fame had lost all credibility by excluding Ben Lexcen. Australia II's skipper John Bertrand and owner Alan Bond have been honoured but Lexcen continued to be missed out - some say because of his behaviour at the New York Yacht Club, others, because he didn't design Australia II alone (read the media release - does anyone!) and others simply because he designed the boat that took the cup away from America.

Injured Team Shosholoza's Geoff Meek steps down from the South African challenge in favour of younger skipper Mark Sadler. Dee Smith USA joins as Team Manager, coach and tactician.

OFF THE BEACH & OLYMPIC CLASSES
Yachting Australia announces the nominees for the 2006 Australian Youth Team, to compete at the ISAF World Youth Sailing Championship in England in July.

Toshiba OK Dinghy Australian and Interdominion Championships, Lake Macquarie
- Roger Blasse won the Australian Nationals for the 10th time and the Interdominions for the 4th time. The OK Dinghy World Championships started on February 13.

Andrew Cuddihy and his Fisher & Paykel 18ft Skiff team scored their first championship win when they took out Race 3 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sydney Harbour.

7th Philippine Hobie Challenge - Challengers arrive, wind drops and inshore races are abandoned. Competitor quote: 'People back home think I'm crazy – their idea of a vacation is to sit in a deck chair and get a massage. Not to sail all day and sleep on sand at night.'

DISABLED SAILING
A cheque for $31,500 was handed over to Sailability Victoria for the development of sailing opportunities for people of all abilities and ages. The donation is due to the generosity of bidders at an auction conducted at the Volvo Ocean Race Leg 2 prize-giving dinner.

CRUISING
Boating OZ Editor's note: Bernie and Yvonne Katchor, founders of Whitsunday Rent A Yacht, are cruising around Panama and Columbia. I caught up with them on their last visit to Australia. Bernie sent me some stories of their life on board to share with the Boating OZ readers. The first is about the cruising lifestyle as they leave Cartagena, Columbia.

AROUND THE WORLD
Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race - Following 7 of the boats discovering loose keel bolts, the fleet has arrived in Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs which are likely to take around a month. Crews will travel home or receive the cost of flights in lieu. New schedules will be published once a firm date for the completion of the remedial work is known.

The Victorian Marine industry is once again readying for the 2006 Melbourne Club Marine Sail Boat Show, to be held on April 8-9 2006, at Sandringham Yacht Club.

WHAT'S ON
Feb 19 - Scandinavian Sunday - FREE Entry to the Australian National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney. Vikings will invade Darling Harbour and descend on the museum, bringing with them a smorgasbord of Scandinavian food and culture, to celebrate the museum's major exhibition Vikings.

Feb 25 - 26 -- Batavia Coast Marina Boat & Fishing Show, Geraldton WA. A celebration of the regions unique maritime heritage, the show will feature boat, accessory, electronics and fishing displays as well as a seafood hall, seafood cooking demonstrations, aquatank fishing presentations and other entertainment including fireworks. Ph: 618 9386 9666

Mar 3 - 12 -- Sydney Harbour Week - To promote Sydney Harbour and the maritime foreshore. Water and land based activities program.

Mar 5 - Clean Up Australia Day

Photo: ABN AMRO TWO follows the fleet upwind away from Melbourne in Leg 3 of the Volvo Ocean Race. Heavy spray covers the crew as they work on deck.

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