Weekly Sailing Summary

AROUND AUSTRALIA

Sailing around Australia is something only a small band of yachtsmen and yachtswomen have done and the last fleet race around Australia took place 21 years ago as part of the bicentennial celebrations. The Around Australia Ocean Race & Rally is being organised to start in 2011. The race event incorporates ten starting/stop-over ports around Australia and covers a total distance of 7,500 nautical miles, with distance between ports ranging from 350 to 1400 nautical miles.

The timing of the race aligns with major events around the country. The cruising fleet will visit many more places. More here.

VOLVO OCEAN RACE

It was an historic moment in St Petersburg, Russia, when as the White Night turned to dawn the Volvo Ocean Race fleet, led by Telefónica Black crossed the tenth and final finish line of this nine-month, 37,000 nautical mile race around the world. PUMA finished second and second overall and Telefónica Blue was third. More here.

MATCH RACING

Will the inclusion of the big multihulls affect the match racing game? With all the legal wrangling in the past few years over the format and future of the America’s Cup, there’s been much speculation on what its effects might be on match racing. The event has always been a driving force for enticing new talent into the sport, even though match race talent has not necessarily been a prerequisite for success: Most often, the fastest and best prepared boat will win almost regardless of match race tactics. More here.

The ascendancy of fresh new talent in Adam Minoprio (NZL) and Torvar Mirsky (AUS) has put pressure on World Match Racing Tour veterans this season. It is remarkable to consider these two teams, with an average crew age in their 20s, are meeting and beating the world’s best, who have twice as much or more experience on both the World Tour and the America’s Cup. More here.

Coming off their win in Portugal last week, Mirsky Racing Team (MRT) from Perth, got off to a steady start at Match Cup Sweden, with two wins and one loss in glamorous conditions. More here.

KEEL BOATS

Race Nine of the Audi Winter Series in Sydney was marked by early rain showers clearing just in time for the start of racing. A fleet of 148 boats took part, the largest fleet of the series to date. More here.

Whitsunday Sailing Club Commodore Kevin Fogarty has given notice that Idle Time will be on the pace when they contest the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week performance handicap class championship in August. More here.

French Kiss America’s Cup sailor Pierre Gal will start as the favourite to defend his Sports Boat line honours title at the Meridien Marinas Airlie Beach Race Week in mid August. More here.

- INTERNATIONAL

The 25 boats contesting the final day of racing at the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship lined-up for the tenth and final race with just one point separating the top two teams Barking Mad and Nerone. Barking Mad came out on top, giving Jim Richardson his third world title. Australian entries Transfusion, Estate Master and Kokomo placed eighth, ninth and 16th respectively. More here.

British sailor Dee Caffari and a crew of three have gone into the WSSR Council record books with a new speed record for Around Britain and Ireland. More here.

MULTIHULLS

BT Extreme 40 regular driver, Darren Bundock, has been forced to step down for Round Two of the iShares Cup in Hyères due to torn knee ligaments. Into the breach steps co-creator of the Extreme 40 Class, Mitch Booth, who will take the BT helm for this challenging round on 3-5 July. More here.

OFF THE BEACH & OLYMPIC CLASSES

Katie Spithill, Nicole Douglass and Nina Curtis defeated fellow Australians Nicky Souter, Jess Eastwell and Olivia Price in the Women’s Match Racing final at round six of the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Kiel Germany. Stacey Hall and Chelsea Omay (AUS) claimed victory in the 470 women’s medal race to finish fourth overall. More here.

Sail Melbourne announces the inclusion of seven invited classes in the 2010 ISAF Sailing World Cup at Sandringham Yacht Club from 14 – 19 December, 2009. More here.

Phil Gray will contest the SB3 Dart Airlie Beach Challenge during the international Meridien Marinas Race Week regatta on Pioneer Bay in August. More here.

The 2009 Sail Brisbane Notice of Race is now available to download from the dedicated regatta website. More here.

The Gorge is already experiencing some high quality and exciting Moth racing with less than two months to go to the CST Composites 2009 Moth World Championships. CST have been developing and testing the new CST Nano Spars™ series with the help of some of the best Moth sailors to ensure product reliability and performance. More here.

Strong heat and no wind marred the first day of competition at the Mark Foy Trophy for 18 foooters on the bay of Quiberon in Carnac, France. More here.

The 24th Windsurfing and Kiteboarding World Cup will be held at Fuerteventura, the Hawaii of Europe, and as well as white sand beaches, blue skies and summer temperatures, the island also has all the wind a windsurfer or kiteboarder could wish for. More here.

NEWS BRIEFS

The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia launches its annual Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) Trusts Raffle with the major prize of a cruise for two onboard the Queen Victoria, sailing from Sydney to Fremantle, departing on 20 February 2010. The package also includes one night post cruise accommodation in Perth and airfares from Perth to Sydney, supplied by EseaCruising.com. More here.

Darling Harbour is gearing up to play host to the Sydney International Boat Show from 30 July – 3 August. A unique collection of famous and historic boats will be on display. More here.

Vanessa Dudley relinquishes the helm at Australian Sailing to Roger McMillan. More here.

The Phoenician Ship Expedition is attempting to recreate the first circumnavigation of Africa, accomplished by Phoenician mariners in 600BC, in a replica Phoenician/Mediterranean vessel. More here.

MARINE INDUSTRY

NSW Ports and Waterways Minister Joe Tripodi said reforms aimed at streamlining commercial boating licence requirements will make it easier for people to find work in the maritime industry. More here. 

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

July 2 - 6 -- Melbourne Boat Show, Melbourne Exhibition Centre. Melbourneboatshow.com.au/

July 12 – 26 -- A junior naturalist workshop week and a discover Mr Darwin holiday program will be conducted during the winter school holidays at the Australian National Maritime Museum, Darling Harbour, Sydney. More here.

July 16 - 19 -- Adelaide Boat Show, Adelaide Convention Centre. More here.

July 18 - Sail Indonesia Yacht Rally departs from Darwin. SailIndonesia.net/

July 25 - Audi Sydney Gold Coast Yacht Race Goldcoast.cyca.com.au

July 30 - Aug 3 -- Sydney International Boat Show, Darling Harbour. Sydneyboatshow.com.au

August 12 - 16 -- Perth International Boat Show, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. Perthboatshow.com.au

Aug 13 – 20 -- Airlie Beach Race Week, Meridien Marinas Abel Point Marina Airliebeachraceweek.com.au

Aug 21 – 29 -- Audi Hamilton Island Race Week Hamiltonislandraceweek.com.au

August 28 - 31 -- Brisbane International Boat Show, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre. Brisbaneboatshow.com.au

Sep 11-13 -- The Great Tropical Jazz Party on Magnetic Island follows on from Sunferries Magnetic Island Race Week, with many crews lingering on to relax after a week of competitive sailing. More here.

Oct 8 – 11 – Mandurah Boat Show, Mandurah Ocean Marina. Mandurahboatshow.com

Oct 17 - 18 -- Darwin Boat & Leisure Show, Darwin Convention Centre. Darwinboatshow.com.au

Photograph: Katie Spithill, Nicole Douglass and Nina Curtis in Kiel