Weekly Sailing News Summary

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

The fairing system developed by Farr Yacht Design for the Volvo Open 70 keels has been the source of considerable interest for those following the Volvo Ocean Race. A statement from Farr describes the system, why it is required and what has gone right and what has gone wrong.

The crew of Susan and Howard Piggott's yacht, 'Cloud IX', are on a high after winning an Audi A4 Avant at the inaugural Audi Sydney Harbour Regatta. 217 yachts in 17 divisions competed in the Regatta and a Final Challenge was held at Eastern Creek Raceway for the 17 class winners. Two crew members tested their driving skills in an Audi TT Coupe 3.2 quattro on a motorkhana course designed and run by Audi Driving Experience trainers.

Two apprentices are showing the veteran Blue Water Pointscore contenders how it's done in the 2005-06 series which will wrap up with the Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race starting April 1. While David Mason's Beneteau 44.7 Prime Time already has the IRC division sewn up, just three points separate Colin and Gladys Woods' Beneteau 47.7 Pretty Fly II, Syd Fischer's Farr 50 Ragamuffin and Kevin O'Shea's Sparkman and Stephens 34 Stormy Petrel.

A win in the final race gave Julian Farren Price's About Time a convincing win in the Cruising Yacht Club of Australia's Short Ocean Pointscore for 2005-2006.

A yacht designed by the Royal boat-builder for Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark won overall the Top of the Bay Regatta conducted by Royal Brighton Yacht Club, Melbourne. Under Capricorn, a Borresen 40 is owned by RBYC members Phil Bedlington, Andy Ward and David Main.

The Southport Yacht Club invites all keel, cruising and multihull vessel owners to join in the fun of the annual Southport Retravision Burleigh Bash on Sunday March 26.

Hog's Breath Race Week has lost its naming sponsor and will now be called Airlie Beach Race Week. Don Algie's Hog's Breath Cafe has been the title sponsor of the very successful event for its first 16 years. It's time to move on, but the management remains the same for the annual event to be held August 10 - 17.

The Brazil Sailing Cup, Stage 5 of the 2005-'06 World Match Racing Tour will be held at Angra dos Reis, Brazil on March 14-19, 2006. The event hosted by Club Yacht Club Angra dos Reis will be raced in SM40s and will have a prize purse of $100,000 (1st place -- $35,000). Aussies James Spithill and Peter Gilmour are competing.

ISAF launches a microsite for women. Cowes Week in the UK is staging its first-ever Ladies Day on Thursday August 3.

OLYMPIC CLASSES
The father and son-in-law team of John Dane and Austin Sperry USA win the 2006 Bacardi Cup Star Class Regatta in Miami. Iain Murray and Andrew Palfrey AUS placed seventh and champion Laser sailor Robert Scheidt with Bruno Prada BRA placed ninth.

Latest ISAF World Sailing Rankings released -- As the Olympic Classes gear up for the start of the European season, Spain is the big winner in the latest rankings.

The first of the Olympic class events to be held in Europe will be the Semaine Olympique Francaise at Hyeres, France on April 22 - 28.

Windsurfers Alisha Kawalla and James Levy, both of NSW, have been nominated to the Australian Youth Team to compete in the ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships to be conducted in Weymouth UK from July 12 to 21. They join the team of eight other youth sailors.

The Casio Seapathfinder team of Michael Coxon, Aaron Links and Nathan Ellis continued their superb recent form with a strong win in Race 4 of the Australian 18 Footers League Club Championship on Sunday.

Over 100 young sailors from representing over 15 different classes from around NSW gathered on the shores of Lake Illawarra last weekend to contest the 2006 Lake Illawarra Youth Regatta.

A fleet of sailing boats will race around Brisbane city in the annual River Classic race from South Brisbane Sailing Club to the Brisbane 18 Footers Sailing Club at Bulimba on March 18.

Cruising in Panama - Australians Bernie and Yvonne Katchor continue their cruising adventures in Panama, walking through the jungle bird watching, saving a snapping bird from a fishing line and taking photographs of unsmiling Kuna Indians.

AROUND THE WORLD
Adrian Flanagan passes the Juan Fernandez archipelago in his quest to be the first to sail a solo non-stop longitudinal circumnavigation via the Russian Arctic. It was here in 1705 that Alexander Selkirk, a seaman aboard a privateer had a thunderous row with the ship's master. Selkirk asked to be put ashore. Four years later, he was picked up by Woodes Rogers. In London, Selkirk's story was written up where it was seen by Daniel Defoe who used it as the model for his novel, Robinson Crusoe. Flanagan was sorely tempted to anchor and have a look...

The Clipper 05-06 Round the World Yacht Race will restart March 25. Arrangements are being made to fly crew back to the Philippines for Race 6 from Subic Bay to Qingdao in China. The fleet was diverted on February 5 due to keel problems.

Nominations for the 2006 Australian Yachting Awards close on March 15. Anyone may submit a nomination, provided the criteria and conditions are met.

MARINE INDUSTRY
The Marina Association of Australia's international marina conference 'Marinas 2007' will be staged in conjunction with the New Zealand Marina Operators Association on May 28-30, 2007 at the five-star Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort. The theme of 'Marinas 2007' will be 'Marinas into the Future', but its agenda will be extremely broad based and will cover every facet of the industry, including vital environmental issues, marina marketing and operational and management issues. Media release at http://www.boatingoz.com.au/news06/0314a.htm

Photo by Luca Villata - Sam Boyd (CYCA) chasing down Katie Spithill (RPAYC)in the Harken Women's International Match Racing Regatta, Sydney Harbour.

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